Chapter 396: Legend Prelude

The pure, immaculate soul stone was filled with black, like a black obsidian crystal.

Lei En held it up to his eyes, and a fierce Bimon Giant Beast face appeared; deep within the demon soul's core were ten Elements drifting like light and shadow.

Steel body, Bimon claws, Grade‑8 strength, berserk…

"Done."

Lei En's face broke into a smile.

The wind‑phoenix in the sky descended, reverting to the bull‑headed black‑horned form; he wore an expression of disbelief, but mostly awe toward Lei En.

An adult Bimon Giant Beast, the king of land battles, was torn to pieces by Lei En bare‑handed!

And Lei En seemed to exert no effort at all; the massive, hard body of the Bimon Giant Beast was as fragile as tofu in his hands, snapping apart with a casual tug.

How much power does that require?

No wonder when he transformed into the War Ancient Tree, a single hammer shattered his arm… If it were the true form of a black dragon, the outcome would be far more tragic than for the Bimon Giant Beast.

Yi Geng dared not think further.

He flattered, "Congratulations, my lord Count, the demon soul of the Bimon Giant Beast is extremely valuable, more sought after than a giant dragon's, and can fetch at least five hundred thousand Gold Shields."

Lei En tucked away the soul stone and laughed, "I have no intention of selling it."

He was in a very good mood; the Bimon Giant Beast was easier to slay than he had imagined. He had expected a close‑quarters battle, but a single hammer strike caused severe injury, with no direct contact, denying it any chance to use its melee advantage.

The Bimon Giant Beast's strongest attack, its claws, never once touched an opponent from start to finish.

Lei En also knew the steel body well; lightning spells and activated metal restrained it tightly, one could say it died a very grudging death.

Yi Geng, hearing Lei En say he wouldn't sell the demon soul, immediately guessed its purpose and, being considerate, didn't ask further.

He walked to the Bimon Giant Beast's side, looking at the corpse that resembled a small hill, especially its two massive arms, and said, "Lord, the most valuable part of the Bimon Giant Beast is its claws; they are extremely rare alchemical material, capable of being forged into top‑tier weapons."

Lei En nodded and brushed the Bimon Giant Beast's claws.

The metallic sensation took effect immediately, indicating that the Bimon Giant Beast's claws are also a kind of metal.

However, the sensing revealed that metal makes up only about a third of the claw's composition; the rest is bone, fused with metal to form a strange alloy of extremely high hardness and unprecedented toughness, which is why the claw blades are so sharp.

Moreover, this alloy possesses partial anti‑demon properties, comparable to ordinary anti‑magic metal in purity.

Most importantly, its density is not high, only slightly heavier than steel.

"What a marvelous metal!"

Lei En admired silently; with such superior performance, if the formula could be deciphered and mass‑produced, it might see large‑scale application. He was not very confident, however, as the claw's main body is bone, and activated metal and metallic sensation have no effect on bone.

The Bimon Giant Beast has six claws, each over a meter long and weighing several hundred pounds.

Because it was already dead, its steel body reverting to flesh, Lei En actually spent more effort to dismantle all the claws.

Then he cleared space inside the ring and stuffed them in.

The rest of the Bimon Giant Beast could also fetch a good price—its fangs, its hide, which is premium anti‑demon material—but the ring simply couldn't hold them, so he had to abandon them reluctantly.

The corpse left in the forest would be devoured by beasts within two days, leaving no trace.

"What a pity," Lei En shook his head.

Yi Geng also wore a look of regret, but his spatial gear couldn't hold anything either, so, reluctantly, he transformed into an ethereal gryphon and lifted Lei En for takeoff.

Although the ethereal gryphon wasn't as fast as the wind‑phoenix, its stealth made up for it; the next day it smoothly flew out of Ten Thousand Pines Ridge and entered the territory of Barshi Sea Nation.

A sea breeze brushed his face as Lei En returned to Haitoke City.

The steel ring given to Ai Milisi bore a metallic mark; she was currently in the city, at Wa Luo Gen's manor.

The ethereal gryphon landed on the manor's lawn, finally revealing its presence.

"Who are you?" The manor's guard, startled by the sudden appearance of Lei En and Yi Geng, shouted loudly, instantly alarming the entire villa. Most of them had never seen Lei En; a few who had simply couldn't recognize him after so long.

A portal opened, and the wealthy‑looking Wa Luo Gen stepped out, seeing Lei En, he quickly bowed and said, "Lord Count!"

Then he waved to the guards, "Stand down."

Lei En nodded at Ai Milisi's chief strategist, and before he could speak, Ai Milisi's figure rushed out, exclaiming, "Lei En, you're finally back."

Beside her stood the two dragons, Kalarodlos and Xindala, as well as the legendary swordsman Astan, Demon sorcerer Ding Laji, and the core figure of the Zuo Gengbao family's restoration, all present.

It seemed they were gathering to discuss.

Everyone wore a concerned expression, even the usually aloof Astan was no exception.

Lei En knew what they were thinking; he had been separated from them in the deep mud swamp, and his long absence made them assume something had happened to him. Without him, Ai Milisi and Weizelan Floating City would lose their link, and the restoration plan would be in vain.

"Your Excellency, it's wonderful to see you return safely," Wa Luo Gen said sincerely.

The others also nodded in agreement.

"Thank you all for your concern," Lei En, regardless of their motives, acknowledged the genuine care and explained, "I ran into some issues on the way back, so I was delayed a few days and kept everyone waiting."

Ai Milisi's eyes were full of relief, "As long as you can come back, that's all that matters."

After they returned to Haitoke, they waited a long time without Lei En's appearance, growing anxious. A few days later, news came from the northern grasslands: the airship of ParrasFloatingCity was hijacked and destroyed, the incident occurring exactly during the days Lei En had been away, causing her to doubt.

Ai Milisi dared not mention the matter to anyone, and the two dragons kept it tightly sealed.

But Lei En still hadn't returned; waiting indefinitely wasn't a solution.

Ai Milisi gathered her subordinates for discussion, about to dispatch people to investigate the deep mud swamp and even report to Weizelan, when Lei En appeared.

She breathed a sigh of relief, recalling the black dragon beside Lei En, and joyfully said, "Master Black Horn, welcome to Haitoke."

Wa Luo Gen and the others knew that the bull‑headed man was actually a black dragon, having signed a Dragon Oath with Ai Milisi, and they all greeted him as their own dragon, showing goodwill.

Conversely, Kalarodlos and Xindala seemed less pleased.

"Hmph, I thought you wouldn't return."

The copper dragon shook its head, its face showing regret, while Xindala beside it cast a cold stare.

The black dragon was immediately hit at a sore spot, sneering, "What? You were hoping I'd die so you could seize my treasure?"

"I didn't mean that; don't overthink it," Kalarodlos immediately denied.

"Better that way," the bull‑headed man's complexion turned grim.

On the road to Hai Tuoke, he repeatedly discussed with Lei En how to retrieve his treasure; now he lacks a sufficiently large space apparatus, and storing it elsewhere makes him uneasy, unable to guard it constantly, and he does not know how to handle it.

The volume of over six million gold coins is too great; finding a space apparatus that can contain it is difficult.

Heilong has collected only a few items over the years, and only a small portion can be stored.

Lei En suggested depositing it in the Empire's bank and converting most of it into gold notes, but Heilong could not accept solid gold turned into paper, which left him feeling insecure.

After much thought, Heilong finally came up with an idea: store the treasure in Weizelan's Floating City, not in the city's bank but in Lei En's tower room.

This greatly surprised Lei En; Heilong actually trusted him so much.

"Count Lord is the only person I can trust right now." Those were Yi Geng's exact words; Lei En did not know whether they were sincere or sensed through the Great Druid talisman, but he still agreed.

Lei En glanced at the silent Ai Mi Li Si and sighed, realizing Yi Geng had hit the mark.

Her soul's color shifted, wavering; she was undoubtedly interested in Heilong's treasure, but had not yet mustered the resolve.

"Count Lord, Master Heijiao, please come in."

Everyone from the Varogen clan entered the villa; after sitting in the living room for a while they each dispersed.

Lei En returned to his upstairs room; just as he closed the door, Ai Mi Li Si embraced him from behind, pressed her face to his back, and whispered, "Lei En, you have no idea how worried I am; I haven't slept well these days, fearing something might happen to you."

"You must have confidence in me." Lei En turned around and pulled her into his arms.

"But that's a high‑rank Holy Grail Knight, and also a Silver Dragon…" Ai Mi Li Si frowned, worried, and as she spoke she looked at Lei En's face inches away, suddenly tiptoed and pressed her fragrant lips to his, only to realize she had been lifted in a sideways hug.

Lei En was instantly inflamed and enjoyed a vigorous workout.

After the passion, he inquired about Kangjiatuo's situation.

Varogen's plan succeeded.

Last month, within just a few days, across the entire Kangjiatuo continent, nobles down to commoners all learned that King Malke's crown was greenish and his three children were bastards. Malke, after three days of patience, uncovered the truth, immediately announced the abolition of the queen's title, and imprisoned her and the three children.

Malke's plan was to hold a trial seven days later, execute the former queen and the three bastards, thereby cleansing his shame.

But the day before the trial, the queen and children were rescued.

The rescue was carried out by Kangjiatuo's prime minister, the queen's father, Duke Dans. The duke escorted his daughter and three grandchildren back to his domain, then sent a messenger to petition the king, offering to resign his post and pay a large compensation.

Malke, without hearing the conditions, beheaded the messenger, ordered Duke Dans to hand over the queen and the three bastards within seven days, or else the Dans family would be annihilated.

This order was also refused.

King Malke, not waiting the seven days, declared the Dans family rebel and raised troops to suppress them.

Duke Dans had served as the Imperial Prime Minister for decades, operating behind the scenes; the power he wielded was comparable to the king's, his family's private army was massive, and he already harbored rebellious thoughts; after revealing his true face, he outright revolted.

Currently, Kangjiatuo has six major families; the king and Duke Dans each have two families supporting them, splitting into two camps, and the whole continent has fallen into this civil war.

For a time, the outcome cannot be decided.

Ai Mi Li Si, Varogen and others think they can wait longer, not rush to land; after the six families' forces are sufficiently drained by the civil war, they can reap the fisherman's profit, launch a sudden attack on Kangjiatuo, and seize it in one blow.

The civil war has just begun and may last several months; Ai Mi Li Si's side needs another month to gather forces, so they will not act within a month.

Lei En, after consideration, also thought there was no problem.

He leaned against the headboard, seemingly casually saying, "As long as you're here at Hai Tuoke, that's enough. Tomorrow I'll return to Mo Du, let Galadros and Yi Geng accompany me, and store Yi Geng's treasure in Weizelan; that's his own wish."

Ai Mi Li Si couldn't help a startle, her face showing some hesitation, "I need to discuss with Galadros."

"There's nothing to discuss; he must come with me." Lei En looked at her seriously, "Ai Mi Li Si, you don't lack those millions of Gold Shields; compared with the throne of Kangjiatuo, you should know which is lighter and which is heavier; never do something foolish."

Ai Mi Li Si was silent for a while, ultimately did not dare to oppose, "I understand."

Lei En said nothing more, but his Soul Eye saw Ai Mi Li Si's mood low, clearly still somewhat unwilling.

Yi Geng was right; making a giant dragon spit out the treasure from its mouth is truly difficult.

Fortunately Ai Mi Li Si is not overly greedy; unlike a true giant dragon, she was only momentarily blinded by the treasure, she has higher aspirations, thus she did not completely lose her mind.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have paid such a high price to Weizelan for the sake of restoring the nation.

The next morning, Lei En announced his decision.

"I will also go to Mo Du…" Galadros was greatly astonished, immediately realizing this meant he was to return the treasure. He himself is a good dragon who keeps promises, but due to a dragon's nature, he is reluctant to part with such a massive treasure; however Lei En's attitude was firm, Ai Mi Li Si also supported, so he could only agree.

Sindara pursed her lips, a cold expression, yet did not oppose.

"Let's go."

At Lei En's command, Yi Geng happily transformed into an Ethereal Griffin, carrying Lei En and Galadros out of Hai Tuoke.

Before leaving, he also did not forget to take back from Ai Mi Li Si a portion of his own treasure.

When Lei En came to Hai Tuoke he traveled by ship, taking at least ten days; now returning he decided to use another method.

The Ethereal Griffin flew southwest for half a day, entered the Empire's northeastern province, then after a few more hours arrived at Sunset City.

Sunset City is the largest city among the three northeastern provinces of the Empire; here resides a Holy Soul Wizard named KangJieladeGreatSage.

KangJielade is the second‑oldest Holy Soul Wizard in the Supreme Council; his most famous achievement is inventing the Soul Stone, thus he is revered as the greatest alchemist in history, founded and leads the Empire Alchemy Association, hence the title "Grand Sage".

Lei En rode on the back of the Ethereal Griffin, and from afar saw a massive city and the Floating City suspended in the sky.

That was the Ai En Floating City of Grand Sage KangJielade.

He was not there to visit the Holy Soul Wizard, just passing by; the Empire's Trans‑Sky Travel Agency has set up a public teleport array in Sunset City, which can instantly return to Mo Du.

Entering Sunset City, Lei En had no intention of admiring its scenery; with the two dragons he headed straight for the teleport array, paid for teleportation, and returned to Mo Du after more than a month apart. Both dragons were seeing the world's largest trade hub for the first time, curiously looking around.

Lei En bought a Soul‑Devouring elixir at an alchemy shop by the roadside, then opened the teleport gate and appeared in his castle's main hall.

"Master." Two Extreme Warriors saluted loudly.

The castle's servants also came forward, shouting, "Count Lord."

The wind‑elf steward Fabian and Xikaryus arrived upon hearing the news; Lei En tossed the two dragons to them for hospitality, ordered the four Extreme Warriors to guard the door, commanded that no one disturb, and entered the meditation chamber.

All preparations for the Ascension Legend were complete; he was already a bit impatient.

(End of chapter)