Chapter 311: The Great Horned Beetle of the Long Spear

"Captain, they're not enemies."

Lao Ruina feared a clash between the two sides; it is rumored that the Earl of Glamorgan and his Extreme Warriors can hold back tens of thousands of Undead Army, and she and her teammates are probably no match.

Even if they could win, they wouldn't dare; this lord is the Chairman of the Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng and a student of a Holy Soul Wizard.

In terms of power, status, or background, Lei En is a figure that she and her teammates cannot afford to provoke.

She hurriedly introduced, "Captain, this is the Earl of Glamorgan of Mo Du; he invited me to the camp to talk, nothing else."

Upon hearing Lao Ruina's words, several transcendants' expressions changed dramatically.

Who hasn't heard of the Earl of Glamorgan's name?

This young lord, a year ago an obscure commoner, is now the most talked‑about figure throughout the Empire, a celebrated Empire hero; his meteoric rise has sparked envy and jealousy, and entered countless girls' dreams.

They looked at Lei En; even in the dim firelight they couldn't see clearly, but sensed that he was a handsome young man.

And the tall guards stationed around the camp are presumably the famed Extreme Warriors.

All this is enough to confirm Lei En's identity.

"Indeed, it's the Earl of Glamorgan! Yet, a noble lord like him shouldn't be staying in Mo Du—how did he end up in the Death Forest?"

The transcendants of the Soul‑Hunting Squad muttered.

They silently breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their guard.

The legendary Iron Guard slung his two‑handed greatsword behind his back and shouted, "Honored Lord. I am Shi Weifute, captain of the Soul‑Hunting Squad."

"Captain Shi Weifute, and everyone else, please come forward," Lei En invited.

The transcendants carefully skirted the fire dragons, passed behind them, and entered the camp.

Behind them trailed two sturdy, towering jungle elk, each laden with supplies—likely necessities from their adventures and hunting hauls.

These jungle elk make excellent pack animals: strong, enduring, gentle‑tempered, and they move through the forest as if on level ground.

They chew as they go, and almost any harmless plant can fill their bellies.

Soul‑Hunting squads in the forest usually bring one or two jungle elk for transport.

Upon entering the camp, the transcendants' gazes fell on Lei En, instantly seeing a sharply chiseled, artistically handsome face, demeanor as steady as a mountain, bright eyes that seemed to read hearts, a faint smile, relaxed bearing, and no trace of aristocratic affectation.

"Honored Lord."

"Your Grace, Earl."

"Chairman..."

Everyone saluted and greeted, using various titles.

Captain Shi Weifute removed his helm, revealing a resolute face, and briefly introduced his teammates.

The swift‑wind swordmage named Nei Wei Er appears very young, seemingly under forty, yet is already a ninth‑level transcendent, just one step away from Legend;

Two Wizards: the male is Ham Lin, an eighth‑level fire Element.

He is a typical Mo Du‑school Wizard; he claims he once sought to join the Weizelan Academy but failed due to insufficient talent, and later could only advance by joining a caster organization.

Lei En, hearing this, couldn't help but glance at Ham Lin twice.

Ham Lin wore a red enchanted robe with a high collar that covered his neck to his chin; long sleeves wrapped his arms tightly, revealing two slightly pallid palms at the cuffs, and his right hand gripped a full‑height hardwood staff radiating a flame‑like warm aura.

When he mentioned his past at Weizelan, a hint of provocation lingered.

His soul's hue shifted to red, a clear sign of hostility.

Lei En could guess his thoughts.

Clearly, this fellow harbors resentment over being barred from the Weizelan Academy; now that he has reached eighth‑level Wizard, he wants to flaunt himself before a Weizelan Chairman to prove his talent, insisting the earlier rejection was a mistake.

However, Lei En merely nodded, saying nothing more.

This left Ham Lin very disappointed, a shadow falling over his eyes.

The other Wizard's demeanor was the opposite; she is a strikingly beautiful witch with dewy skin, light makeup, a fine figure, and is named Sang Ya.

When the captain introduced herself, Sang Ya quietly assessed Lei En, her eyes rippling like water.

In the flickering firelight, others couldn't discern her expression.

Lei En saw it perfectly.

In the primeval forest, among a group of rough men, a remarkably attractive woman appeared, as if a mere flick of a finger could win her over—truly alluring.

The Element Archer named Lan Di is extremely taciturn;

Priest Pa Er Mo Si is a devout follower of the Earth Mother, robust, plain‑looking, slightly balding, like an honest middle‑aged man.

Lei En holds no underestimation of him.

Judging from his soul Element, the priest's strength ranks just below Captain Shi Weifute; his physique and power are formidable, comparable to a barbarian warrior, his spirit even stronger, possessing numerous Divine Techniques—healing, blessing, dispelling, etc. —and the fire of faith in his soul burns brilliantly.

During the introductions, Lei En observed each person with his Soul Eye.

This Soul‑Hunting Squad is certainly no ordinary group.

Every member is elite among elites in their respective transcendent professions, belonging to the top tier and qualified to challenge Legend.

A Soul‑Hunting Squad of seven elite transcendants seems a bit of overkill.

Captain Shi Weifute is the strongest Iron Guard Lei En has ever seen; he possesses three supreme Elements, yet unlike ordinary Iron Guards he bears no shield, wearing costly enchanted armor with high magical resistance, and his two‑handed greatsword is a masterpiece—its broad, razor‑sharp blade etched with runes, red light flowing within, its power astounding.

The others are no less; each is equipped with fine gear.

The squad clearly has a purpose.

Lei En watches them, and they silently assess Lei En, their hearts filled with curiosity, admiration, awe, and more, yet none dares to show disrespect.

A group sat around the campfire.

Lei En produced food for them to cook themselves, ample wine and juice, instantly earning everyone's favor.

"Captain Shi Weifute," Lei En asked, "where in the Empire are you from?"

"Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng."

Shi Weifute, while grilling marinated meat chops, gulped down strong liquor as he answered Lei En.

Lei En nodded.

Thus: Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng has been famous to him for a long time; it lies on an island off the southern coast of the Empire, is the capital of the Turde Trade City-State, the Empire's second largest trade city, second only to Mo Du.

Because the trade city-state is merely a vassal of the Empire, it has its own laws and can conduct many trades the Empire forbids, such as a slave market, so Thus: Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng enjoys some unique advantages over Mo Du.

The distance from Thus: Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng to the Dead Forest Sea is extremely great.

According to Lei En, the soul‑hunting squad from Thus: Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng usually heads to the Mishao Peninsula, where dense jungles and abundant resources exist, and only a dozen or so feudal realms with mediocre ruling power.

They can travel overland to the Mishao Peninsula, or take a ship from Thus: Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng; it takes only two days to arrive, making it convenient and safe.

They forgo the nearer route and go all the way to the Dead Forest Sea; there must be a reason.

However, Lei En is not concerned about that.

He only wants lightning affinity.

Lei En got straight to the point: "I'm heading to the Ismu River Valley to look for a demon soul with lightning affinity. If you have one, you can sell it to me; the price is negotiable."

Shiwifute was startled for a moment.

He glanced at Laorui Na, thinking she had misspoken, and shook his head resolutely: "Count, a few days ago we hunted a Mid-stage 'Long Spear Great Horn Beetle'; its demon soul happens to have lightning affinity, but I cannot sell it to you—that is the soul‑hunting squad's rule."

"Long Spear Great Horn Beetle."

Lei En was a bit surprised; he had expected a magical beast like a thunder wolf, lightning fox, or silver‑ring rattlesnake, not an insect.

The *Book of a Thousand Souls* records the Long Spear Great Horn Beetle.

They appear as massive beetles with hard shells; on their heads grow a long, hard, slightly curved horn resembling a great spear. This horn is an extremely rare alchemical material that can be forged into special weapons.

The Long Spear Great Horn Beetle has a certain chance to acquire lightning power, but it is very rare.

"May I have a look?"

Lei En asked tentatively; he must see it with his own eyes to believe.

Shiwifute hesitated for a few seconds, then finally nodded in agreement: "Alright."

"Captain…"

Wizard Hamlin was somewhat displeased and wanted to speak up to stop it.

"I'm only letting the Count have a look; I won't sell it," Shiwifute emphasized. He trusted Lei En's character; a Count renowned throughout the Empire would not resort to robbery over a Mid-stage demon soul.

He walked to a camel‑deer, pulled a soul stone from its pack on its back, and returned it to Lei En.

Lei En was surprised by Shiwifute's trust in him.

He is a man worth befriending deeply.

He examined the soul stone closely; inside floated the demon soul of a beetle with a huge curved horn, the horn longer than its body. From the soul‑energy fluctuations he judged it to be a Mid-stage demon soul—not extremely powerful—but it possessed six Elements.

"Sure enough, it has lightning affinity!"

Lei En was overjoyed and examined the remaining five.

They were, respectively, Charge, Lightning Arc, Strength, Toughness, and Destructive Critical.

Lei En already possesses the first three Elements; the only noteworthy one is the "Strength" Element, which astonishingly reaches level five. If fused, it should advance the level‑eight Strength progress bar a notch. Toughness is at level three; it is a basic Element that boosts constitution and defense, but for Lei En, who already has a level‑three steel body, its effect is negligible.

What truly thrilled Lei En was the "Destructive Critical" Element.

It is a combat‑technique Element used in close‑quarters, similar to "Thunderous Heavy Strike," allowing power to explode exponentially the instant it hits a target.

The difference is that Thunderous Heavy Strike carries lightning power.

Destructive Critical, however, is pure power concentrated at a point and detonated; its amplification exceeds that of a normal "Heavy Strike." At level one it can double the power's burst.

Thereafter, each time the Element rises a level, the power amplification doubles.

The Long Spear Great Horn Beetle's Destructive Critical is already at level three, a rare Element that can unleash triple power.

Lei En can imagine its combat style: charge, thrust the horn on its head at the enemy, then trigger Destructive Critical, causing an instant power burst that kills with a single blow.

This Element is the Long Spear Great Horn Beetle's demon soul's greatest highlight.

Generally, as a high‑tier transcendent, Lei En should fuse high‑tier demon souls to aid soul‑energy cultivation, but for him, any soul with lightning affinity suffices; there is no distinction between Mid-stage and high‑tier, since both can boost his strength through absorption.

Moreover, the Destructive Critical can compensate for his lacking combat‑technique Elements.

Lei En caressed the soul stone, did not return it, and quoted outright: "Five thousand Gold Shields, sell me this demon soul."

I've written three chapters and still pulled an all‑night… afraid of a sudden death, I must sleep, sleep.

(End of chapter)