Chapter 275: The Hero Battles the Evil Dragon

Lei En puts away his war hammer and Arcane Torrent Staff, takes out a new set of clothes and puts it on.

He walks into the castle; the battle here had long ended, and the Extreme Warriors all gathered around.

"Boss!"

Though they all wore helmets that hid their expressions, as the original body, Lei En could feel that each of them was filled with awe.

It was a perfect victory; aside from Bo Erqi's escape, the members of the Manfalab Mercenary Corps were all cut down, and not a single Extreme Warrior was missing, and none were injured.

Enchanted armor and Lambo's Spear let them easily crush the enemies.

Tai Lien had never fought such an easy battle; he was full of emotion, just as he was about to speak, his spirit surged, countless energies poured into his body, and he let out a muffled hum.

"Hm?"

He immediately sensed that it was not painful; rather, his soul was undergoing transformation, and his body was further strengthened.

"I'm about to ascend to Legend!"

Tai Lien instantly understood, shouting excitedly.

The other Extreme Warriors were startled by the words, then looked at Tai Lien with envy. He removed his helmet, closed his eyes tightly, his facial muscles trembled in waves, and he was in an indescribable state.

Only Lei En was not surprised at all.

Since the third Soul Transformation, the range of his phone's charging expanded to about three hundred meters; any soul within that distance would be absorbed by him.

The barbarian and troll members of the Manfalab Mercenary Corps, after being killed, each soul was not wasted.

The souls of dozens of mercenaries provided a considerable amount of charge.

Lei En poured all the converted charge into Tai Lien; he was already only a hair away from Legend, and the massive soul power forcibly raised his power to Level Seven, becoming a Superlative Element, triggering a Qualitative Change, thereby ascending to Legend.

The Extreme Warriors surrounded Tai Lien in the middle, quietly waiting for him to complete the ascension.

A few minutes later.

Tai Lien opened his eyes, feeling his own changes, his expression complex.

In half a day, the turn of his life's circumstances was so great that it caught him off guard, as if he had been granted divine favor by Ji Li Man. Recently, being pressed by the Manfalab Mercenary Corps to the point of breathlessness, losing several brothers, suffering a huge loss of money, and now everything was resolved in an instant, even he himself ascended to Legend!

All of this was Lei En's gift, leaving him at a loss for words to express his gratitude.

"Boss…" Tai Lien was somewhat incoherent.

Lei En raised his hand, smiling, "No need to say more, I understand your meaning." He looked at the other Extreme Warriors and pledged, "Everyone need not be impatient; in the future, join a few more battles, and each person will have a chance to ascend to Legend."

"Long live the boss!"

The Extreme Warriors shouted loudly.

They had mostly been Mid-stage barbarian warriors; being able to reach high stage in this life was already good, and now they might become Legends—how could they not be excited?

Each one was eager to find enemies and jump straight into battle!

"Lord Earl."

Lei En turned his head; a knight clad in fine armor bowed to him and said respectfully, "I am the Baron's knight captain Mai Ji Na, pleased to meet Earl of Glamorgan."

Mai Ji Na is a Level Five Iron Guard, a powerful extraordinary being compared to ordinary people, commanding a dozen knights and nearly a hundred cavalry; usually aloof, but just now on the castle wall he was frightened, his legs went weak, and was also shaken by the Dragon's Might, still unsettled.

Facing Lei En, who had repelled the evil dragon, Mai Ji Na was nervous, fearing to offend this Empire hero.

He had not forgotten that Lei En had come to collect his wages.

Lei En saw the other's unease at a glance, did not wish to argue, and asked, "Where is Baron Barclay? Did something happen?"

Mai Ji Na shook his head and replied, "The Baron may not have recovered from the Dragon's Might yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, a mournful voice rang through the castle: "My vault!"

"Damned it!"

"Who emptied my vault? Mai Ji Na, get in here quickly, send people to search the castle, and retrieve the lost gold treasures!"

Mai Ji Na's face turned a bit awkward, "Sir, that is the Baron's voice…"

Lei En nodded; the Baron's shout was full of vigor, clearly unharmed, though his mind might be a bit fuzzy, otherwise he wouldn't have been fooled by Bo Erqi's few words.

"Go in and take a look."

"Yes."

Mai Ji Na hurriedly led the way; Lei En followed him into the castle. Along the way, servants and guards had mostly recovered from the Dragon's Might; upon seeing Lei En, their eyes were filled with worship, even to a fanatical degree.

If not for the four Extreme Warriors blocking them, they might have surrounded him to pay homage.

Lei En was initially a bit puzzled, but soon understood.

These people had probably all seen his battle with the golden three-headed dragon, the Hero battling the evil dragon, and ultimately achieving victory.

In the Principality of Hohaven, there is no story more stirring.

Having grown up listening to tales of knights and giant dragons, countless people longed for them; today, witnessing everything with their own eyes, how could they not be excited?

Not to mention, Lei En's status is even more noble than the Baron's, his fame spread far, almost like a legendary hero stepping out of a book.

Under a barrage of scorching gazes, Lei En entered the underground vault.

The vast vault spanned over a hundred square meters, its walls built of massive stone blocks, the magical alloy gate engraved with rune formations; the vault itself was already costly to construct.

Yet the vault was empty, only a row of iron racks remained.

Lei En looked around, not finding even a single Gold Shield; all other precious collections, jewels, artworks had vanished.

"No wonder the most greedy red dragon, Bo Erqi, looted it clean!"

A plump middle-aged man in the vault was frantic, his bald head shaved, fat ears, wearing a very plain, long robe that had been washed countless times, even showing patched seams, and wore no precious ornaments, looking more like a poor man than a baron.

Barclay saw his knight captain entering, shouted, "Mai Ji Na…"

Mai Ji Na, fearing to say the wrong thing and anger Lei En, quickly introduced, "Baron, this is Earl of Glamorgan, Ryan Augustus, the Earl drove away the evil dragon."

"Earl of Glamorgan?" Barclay's eyes were a bit hazy, as if he couldn't recall at the moment.

Mai Ji Na whispered a reminder, "The Earl is from Mo Du."

Barclay's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline, and he hurried forward, "Earl, my vault has been plundered by that damned Bo Erqi; I wonder if you could help me seize it back!"

"As long as I retrieve the treasure, I'm willing to part with thirty percent… no, forty percent…" The baron looked pained, hesitated a few times, then gritted his teeth and said, "I'll give half to the Count."

"Sorry." Lei En shook his head, "I can't get it back."

What a joke—Bo Er Qi is an adult dragon, equivalent to a legendary Mid‑stage Transcendent; only when I was at full power could I barely drive him away and snatch the treasure from the dragon's lair. Bo Er Qi will surely go mad and fight me to the death.

Bakelì the baron, however, was not satisfied, "Not even you?"

Lei En shook his head firmly and refused.

Bakelì plopped onto the ground, his face wailing, tears streaming, howling, "I've labored over my domain for decades, living frugally, even unwilling to wear a slightly expensive garment. After finally saving up a modest nest egg, it's all gone now!"

"Gold Shield above, why are you treating me so cruelly?"

"Heavens…"

"Damned dragon, it used magic to trick me into opening the vault, 835,000 Gold Shields, not even a single copper coin left for me, plus the ancestral collection of several generations…"

"I curse you to meet a bad end; you will fall into the Abyss Hell!"

Bakelì the baron wept heart‑rendingly, while servants and guards peeked from outside the vault.

Lei En wasn't familiar with him, not knowing how to comfort him.

However, judging from Mai Ji Na and the expressions of the castle folk, this Bakelì baron was clearly a miser, a Grandbank‑type figure, stingy even with his own subordinates; otherwise they wouldn't be secretly gloating.

Such a person would never be lenient toward the subjects of his domain.

Those over 800,000 Gold Shields were likely amassed over decades of plundering and insane taxation; the dragon's raid is a fitting retribution.

Lei En's face set, he called, "Bakelì the baron."

He called him three times; only after the baron, still wailing on the ground, snapped back to his senses, regained proper noble decorum, and rose, saying, "Lord Count, how may I assist you?"

"Hmm." Lei En nodded, "Today I come to demand the payment from the Blood Oath Mercenary Corps. I heard you refuse to pay; is that so?"

Bakelì's complexion froze at the words, and he quickly pleaded, "I was bewitched by the evil dragon then; that wasn't my true intention."

"Very well, give the money." Lei En extended his hand.

Bakelì grimaced, "Sir, you saw it yourself; my money was taken by Bo Er Qi. Not even eight hundred Gold Shields, not even eighty Gold Shields—I can't produce any now."

Lei En sneered.

The Soul Eye saw clearly that the fellow was lying; a respectable baronial lord could not possibly have only one vault, and such a person wouldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

"Enough chatter." His expression darkened, "Either pay, or I'll raze your castle."

Bakelì, an ordinary man, shivered in terror.

"Yes, yes… Lord Count, please wait a moment." He dared not deny any longer; his plump body rushed out of the vault, and after a few minutes returned with a stack of gold notes, reluctantly handing them to Lei En.

Taking the gold notes, Lei En turned and left.

The bodies littered the ground outside; Bakelì would deal with them, no need for him to worry.

Under the awe‑struck gazes of the people, Lei En drew his Arcane Torrent Staff, opened a portal on the castle's open ground, and the Extreme Warriors streamed in one after another.

After two jumps, the entire group returned to the airship.

A burst of revelry followed; the Extreme Warriors shed their armor and rested in turn, and Lei En returned to his cabin to read. As night fell, the airship landing field gradually quieted.

Half‑reclining on his bed, Lei En suddenly sat up, looking toward a corner of the room.

Before he could speak,

A tall figure emerged from the shadows, with short milky‑white hair, handsome features, a scar over his left eye, cat‑like pupils, bearing two long swords. He smiled, "Lei En, it's been over half a year since we met; you're now a celebrity of the Empire. I hear your name often in Huo Ha Wen."

(End of Chapter)