Chapter 200: The Devil

'Hoo~~~'

The plane roared forward at 400 km/h, soaring through the clouds at an altitude of five thousand meters.

The plane departed a little after 2 p. m.; by a little after 6 p. m. it had already crossed the Golden Ocean and entered the sea area northwest of Golden Cape in Levinde.

Under the fiery dusk, the sea surface was reflected in a blaze of red, as if a sea of fire, while the distant coastline was stained a solemn bronze by the setting sun.

This is a sight that can never be seen from the ground; even Princess Mo Li, though full of hesitation, was still stunned by the beauty below.

But the awe lasted only a moment before the approaching storm washed it away.

'Duke.'

'Call me Mr. Luobin; we'll have to act in secret afterward.'

'Alright, Mr. Luobin, where is our first stop?'

'Somewhere in the outskirts of Bai Jin Cheng. I'll know the exact spot once I bring the Princess there; later, when needed, I'll arrange for you to appear and assume the queen's throne.'

'Then will I be discovered by La Fengge?'

Luosen pursed his lips and smiled, 'It used to be so, but not now; he can't detect you.'

He paused, feeling his words were too absolute, and added, 'Even if he does discover you, I'll rush over the moment I learn of it to save you.'

'Faster than last time, so fast that you won't even notice the assassin's presence.'

As they spoke, the plane was less than fifty kilometers from the coast, and the sun had fully slipped below the horizon, darkness claiming the world at a visibly rapid pace.

Luosen began to decelerate, then opened the aircraft's side window, used Flight Spell, causing himself and Mo Li to hover in the air while the plane plunged into the sea thousands of meters deep.

He then employed Flight Spell to fly straight toward the coast.

'Mr. Luobin, this will likely consume a great amount of mana.'

Nearly fifty kilometers away, it would almost drain the Four-ring Master's mana.

Luosen nodded, 'It will indeed consume some, but it's not a big problem.'

Without invoking the Soul‑Consuming Secret Technique that constantly draws power from the magic ring, the faith‑derived energy that continuously fuels him is enough to sustain the flight's consumption.

A little over an hour later, the two descended onto the shore.

'Our actions just now may have alerted the demons of Levinde, so on the rest of the journey we should cast as few spells as possible.'

Demons perceive the mortal world through the ripples of the magic ring, and they are far more sensitive than ordinary humans.

But as long as we don't cast spells or affect the magic ring, the demons won't sense us.

Mo Li was startled, 'What if we're intercepted by a demon?'

'If it happens, it happens; I'll drive it away.'

Luosen's face remained calm as he continued to explain the situation.

'This is Darlent County; heading southeast about three hundred kilometers brings us to Bai Jin Cheng. Let's go to nearby Crystal Lake Town to find a carriage and travel through the night.'

Mo Li naturally had no objection, but found it odd, 'Mr. Luobin, you seem very familiar with Levinde; have you been here before?'

Levinde isn't short of Weilan folk, but Luosen, being so young and studying in Dawn City for years, apparently never had time to travel to Levinde.

'I've studied the terrain carefully, Miss Mo Na; just call yourself Mo Na, and I'll cast a Transformation Technique on you.'

As he spoke, Luosen lifted his hand and brushed lightly in front of Mo Li; the legendary, mana‑driven Transformation Technique activated instantly, turning Mo Li into a slightly plump, ordinary‑looking young woman.

This legendary Transformation Technique was extremely potent, completely nullifying the lower‑ring Dispel Spell.

If Luosen didn't help undo it, Mo Li would remain like this for the next twenty years.

'From now on, you are Mo Na, a resident of Crystal Lake Town, a devout nature worshipper, traveling to Bai Jin Cheng on pilgrimage. Got it?'

'Got it, but didn't you just say spells can be sensed by demons?'

Luosen shook his head, 'Your spells will, mine won't.'

Spells themselves are sufficiently concealed, and although his casting seemed ordinary, it involved many subtleties.

In the mountains fifty kilometers from here, thunder rumbled and rain fell; the instant he cast, a fierce lightning strike erupted in the clouds fifty kilometers away.

Natural lightning's impact on the magic ring is thousands of times greater than his Transformation Technique, easily erasing that minor disturbance completely.

Of course, he wouldn't explain those details.

Soon, the two walked to a small manor outside Crystal Lake Town, where Luosen gently tapped the Bell on the gate and called out, 'Knight Ma Se Er, are you home?'

After a while, a butler emerged, 'Knight Ma Se Er is dining with Madam Yao Na; is there something, sir?'

Luosen handed over a purse, 'I am Mr. Luobin, a friend of Knight Ma Se Er, and I'd like to rent his carriage.'

'If there's no carriage, buying two horses will do.'

In the end, the butler led out two horses.

Luosen and Mo Li each mounted a horse, riding along the muddy outskirts road, hurrying toward Bai Jin Cheng under the night sky.

Mo Li was even more puzzled, 'Mr. Luobin, you have friends in such a tiny place?'

Luosen smiled, 'Madam Yao Na is a famous widow of Crystal Lake Town; after her husband died early, he left her a vineyard yielding a thousand Seira a year and a five‑year‑old boy.'

'Moreover, Knight Ma Se Er is the lover that Madam Yao Na chose for herself, because the knight possesses a famed divine spear.'

Mo Li, a bit confused, asked, 'Divine spear? How divine? More divine than you?'

As she spoke, she suddenly realized, 'The knight's divine spear was given by you, so he's actually your informant in Levinde!'

Thinking of that, Mo Li suddenly found Duke Weilan a bit frightening, 'So you've been scheming for Levinde from the start?'

Luosen didn't hide it, 'I probably began when Princess you came looking for me, and this move has already proven effective.'

'Is Knight Ma Ke Xi Mu, who serves Empress Dowager Wang, also one of yours?'

'Not only Ma Ke Xi Mu; among twenty—oh no, twenty‑two—male concubines, half are my men.'

'Mr. Luobin, your methods are truly terrifying!'

Mo Li felt a bit frightened; she sensed she was no match for the duke at all.

No, that's not right; she had never been a match for the duke, and could even say that compared to him, she was merely an ant.

Rosen Ziran sensed Molly's emotions and comforted her, saying, "Your Highness, don't be nervous; you are my wife in Levinde, and I have always treated my wife well."

Huu~~

That really let Molly breathe a sigh of relief, for Duke Weilan truly treats his wife well, and everyone says the duke and duchess are deeply in love.

The night grew darker, but with the moon and stars in the sky, it didn't hinder our journey.

But Molly was simply not used to riding a horse at night, nor was she used to riding a horse at all.

She suggested, "Why don't we set off again tomorrow morning? Or must we hurry to the destination?"

Luosen carefully sensed the information provided by the believers of Bai Jin Cheng.

A few minutes later, he said, "It's not that urgent; there's a village not far ahead. Let's find a place to lodge for the night."

Judging from the current situation, we can still reach Levinde within five days.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from ahead, and before long, a black-clad rider approached.

In the middle of the night, dressed in black and riding alone on a horse, he was quite strange.

When the rider drew near, he suddenly reined in his horse and uttered a very strange remark.

"Duke, you actually came alone—aren't you afraid of dying?"

Luosen also reined in his horse: "Demon, your luck is truly not bad—you've actually managed to block me."

The black-clad knight gave a hehe laugh: "The Creator has always favored me; since I've luckily blocked you, Duke, just die."

Hearing this, Molly turned pale with shock, about to speak, when suddenly the sky darkened until she could not see her hand in front of her face.

She froze for half a second before realizing: "Oh no, someone is using sorcery against us!"

Immediately after, she puzzled: "Strange, how is there not a trace of magical aura?!"

She could see nothing at all, so she instantly released a sun‑light ball, only to discover she could not cast any spell!

Her magical power was suppressed inside her by some unknown force, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not release it!

This situation, completely beyond ordinary magical knowledge, filled Molly with dread. But just then she heard Luosen's voice: "Don't be nervous."

At the same moment, she felt herself leave her horse's back and quickly find herself in a broad embrace; she immediately realized she was being held by Duke Weilan, which instantly put her much more at ease.

Huu~~~ Huu~~~~

From the darkness came a violent wind, like the fiercest sea storm, yet oddly Molly felt no airflow around her.

While she was still doubtful, a pair of silver eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead, accompanied by a round, even pleasant‑sounding voice.

"Duke Weilan, do you feel it? This is my true power!"

"In my domain, all mortal magic will be ineffective. All mortals facing me have only two choices: kneel and beg for mercy, or die."

"Now, which will you choose, Lord Duke of Weilan?"

Luosen said, "I choose a third option, Demon."

His voice remained as gentle as ever, as if he were not facing a terrifying demon but a defeated underling.

Immediately afterward, Molly saw light.

This light emanated from Duke Weilan's body, not blinding but very soft, a pale gold that pierced the darkness and illuminated a radius of five meters around them.

The darkness was like the deepest nightmare, yet no matter how thick it grew, it could never overwhelm the area bathed in that golden light.

At this moment, the darkness was like a storm, while the golden light was a shelter protecting mortals.

"Legendary power!"

The demon's voice sounded again, revealing undisguised shock.

"I never expected you to break through to the legendary realm so quickly!"

This made Molly exclaim: "The legendary realm? That sounds like an incredibly powerful force."

Molly heard Duke Weilan's voice, as calm and gentle as ever, like a deep ocean.

"Demon, you managed to block me not because of luck, but because you set up intercepting puppets at every entrance to Bai Jin Cheng, right?"

"You guessed right—I have indeed been laying plans in Levinde for a long time; this land already belongs to me."

Luosen gave a faint smile: "Lies are always the demon's favorite trick; if you truly controlled Levinde, those coming against me now would not be a demon puppet but an entire elite firearms unit."

As he spoke, Molly saw the duke draw his fire‑god gun from his side, the muzzle igniting a ring of condensed, substance‑like golden light.

Bang~~

In the darkness, the gun's roar actually sounded first, but Molly noticed a thick layer of golden light appearing around her.

The shield had two layers: an outer layer of golden flames and an inner layer resembling solidified golden ice.

One could see a ripple of disturbance spreading across part of the shield, clearly the result of the opponent's attack.

Yet the flames flowed and the ice remained, unbroken by the foe.

"Mr. Demon, your gun is not as good as mine."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The duke's fire‑god gun fired three times in succession, each shot aimed at a different spot, each bullet trailing a dazzling golden line through the darkness.

Suddenly, the endless darkness dissipated, and moonlight and starlight reappeared.

Molly peered forward and saw two corpses lying on the roadside ridge—one a horse, the other a knight whose skull had been blown half away, with a fire‑god gun fallen beside him on the ground.

The bodies' blood seeped slowly, and the gun's muzzle still emitted a wisp of blue smoke.

Clearly, these were the demon's puppets that had attacked them.

Molly looked on in alarm: "Has the demon already become this rampant in Levinde?"

Luosen shook his head: "Levinde does have a secret band of fallen mages, but for now they are confined to the vicinity of Bai Jin Cheng, and their numbers aren't large—perhaps fewer than two hundred."

"Moreover, these demon puppets dare not appear in sunlight; after all, they have only been granted some demonic power and are not truly invincible."

"Demonic power is legendary power; it gives them strong dueling ability, but against a legion they would be wiped out in an instant."

"Furthermore, this demon puppet is so strong precisely because it is directly controlled by the demon."

But obviously, at the same time, the demon can only control one Fallen Mage.

If it's an ordinary Fallen Mage, then it's only a bit stronger than a same‑ring combat mage.

While speaking, he raised his hand and pointed at the Fallen Mage's corpse; a disintegration spell flew, turning the corpse and the fire gun into a heap of white dust.

"From now on, we should be safe."

After mounting again, Molly couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Luobin, what is the Legendary Realm?"

"It's the power of the Eleven Rings."

"Alright, stop asking so much; knowing too much won't benefit you, it will only invite disaster."

Molly wisely fell silent.

Luosen continued to remind, "You must wear the artifact I gave you carefully, especially the Sacred Ring, never taking it off. The Sacred Ring just gave a warning, but you put it in your pocket."

Molly immediately took the ring out and put it on.

"The Fire God Gun must also be carried on you at all times."

"Got it."

The Elder Princess became extremely, extremely docile, even more so than before.

At the same time.

Bai Jin Cheng.

The formation in the underground secret chamber.

Without being summoned, a pair of silver eyes shrouded in black mist appeared above the formation and said, "Lafengge, you're in big trouble!"

Lafengge was meditating with his eyes closed.

He was certainly not using the Linking Magic Ring, but suppressing the chaotic noises in his mind.

His cultivation had reached the Eight Rings Peak, ready to break through the Nine Rings Barrier, but the lingering reason in his mind told him that unless he completely expels the sounds in his head, he cannot safely breakthrough.

After hearing the sound, he subconsciously thought it was an auditory hallucination; only after the sound repeated three times did he open his eyes.

"Great All‑Knowing One, what happened now?"

"Duke Weilan has arrived at Levinde."

"If he comes, let him come; he wants death, I'll grant it to him."

"He has ascended to the Eleven Rings."

Lafengge was shocked, "How could that be? Didn't you say the Eleven Rings cannot be ascended?"

"The vast majority of mortals cannot ascend, but a tiny fraction can."

"Such mortals are geniuses among geniuses, heroes among heroes, the most legendary beings in the world!"

The All‑Knowing's voice seemed to carry a heartfelt shock.

Lafengge had never heard the All‑Knowing use such language to praise a mortal; the other party always spoke to him from a condescending stance.

A boundless jealousy instantly rose in his heart, and he couldn't help shouting.

"I also want to become a legend!"

"No, you can't; I can help you break through to the Ten Rings, but I cannot help you break through the Eleven Rings."

"No, since a mortal can do it, I surely can too!"

"Great All‑Knowing One, you surely know the way to ascend the Eleven Rings; I beg you to tell me!"

"Fine~ There's only one path that can make you ascend to legend, but it will demand an immeasurably huge price."

"I'm not afraid of any price!"

"Alright, alright~ Since that's the case, I'll help you ascend; now listen carefully to what I say."

(End of Chapter)