Chapter 519: Sun‑Walker

"Where is the plane's entrance?" Lei En asked, "Habu, this is a prime chance to hunt demon souls; aren't you going with me?"

As the owner of Mo Du's largest demon soul breeding farm, Habu commands several professional soul‑hunting squads, with footprints across the Old Continent and New Continent, a wide network, and he himself is a demon‑soul appraisal Master; Lei En needs his expertise in that area.

"Sorry, my Lord."

Habu wore a look of regret and said gloomily, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but my tribe forbids me to go. In the Faded Sun Plane, the Lord will have a better guide."

"What do you mean?" Lei En didn't quite understand.

"The entrance to the Faded Sun Plane is held by the Sun‑Chasers tribe; they are a secret branch of our Minotaur clan, followers of the Scorching Sun God Anse, calling themselves Sun‑walkers. Because they wield holy light and wish to avoid conflict with the Sun Church, very few know of their existence," Habu whispered.

"Minotaurs who worship holy light!" Lei En was astonished, "Aren't Minotaurs all devotees of the Earth Mother Goddess?"

"Not entirely," Habu shook his head.

He seemed to be recalling his clan's history, speaking in a low tone, "Long, long ago, in the earliest primordial age, we Minotaurs worshipped both the Mother Goddess and Anse. Later, in the mid‑Second Era, Anse suddenly fell, and his worship gradually waned; the followers lost the deity's protection, and the whole tribe eventually became devotees of the Mother Goddess."

"Even now, Anse's worship hasn't been completely severed, but it's no longer mainstream among Minotaurs; only the Sun‑Chasers tribe preserves the tradition, numbering fewer than a thousand."

"The Sun‑walkers maintain Anse's faith, hoping that one day he may be revived."

"The Sun‑Chasers tribe controls the entrance to the Faded Sun Plane, where the Scorching Sun God's divine realm once stood. When he fell, the divine realm collapsed, and the entire plane suffered catastrophic damage, taking tens of thousands of years to slowly recover to its present state."

"Those two holy beetle demon souls are the Sun‑walkers' harvest from the Faded Sun Plane."

"This month I returned to the Tairen Plateau, sought the Sun‑Chasers tribe, hoping they'd supply more holy beetle demon souls, but they flatly refused."

Habu's face turned a bit awkward at that point.

Lei En saw it; he guessed this fellow's reputation among his tribe was poor—Minotaurs who traditionally follow the Way of Nature, yet he trades demon souls. Fortunately he's not a Druid, or else the Earth Mother Goddess might expel him from the church.

Most importantly, Habu is still a swindler.

"How did they later agree?" Lei En asked with a smile.

"Um…" Habu scratched the mane on his head, "I really had no choice; I had to reveal the Lord's name to the Sun‑walkers. After hearing it, they suddenly changed their mind, but they ask that you go to the Sun‑Chasers tribe in person, saying they can serve as your guide in the Faded Sun Plane."

Lei En furrowed his brows.

Though he now has a modest reputation, it hasn't yet reached the Tairen Plateau, where even Minotaurs would give him respect at the sound of his name.

"Do the Sun‑walkers have a request of me?" he asked.

"Probably," Habu thought the same; otherwise, why would the Sun‑Chasers change their mind yet still bar him from entering the Faded Sun Plane?

Lei En nodded slightly, weighing the pros and cons.

The Minotaur history Habu just recounted is so ancient and fragmentary that Lei En knows little; the only thing he has seen is Anse's revered name in a mythic tome. This deity fell long ago, and now there are few legends about him; the book is vague.

He searched his personal library but found no further results.

However, Habu's words revealed a crucial piece of information: the Scorching Sun God's fall occurred in the mid‑Second Era, about 12,000 to 14,000 years ago.

That coincides exactly with the era when Sun God Ge Weng was deified!

Unsurprisingly, the Scorching Sun God's fall and Sun God Ge Weng's rise are closely linked. One can even boldly infer from their divine names and offices that "Scorching Sun" and "Sun" have followers who both wield holy light—a natural mortal enemy.

Anse's fall and the destruction of his divine realm may well have been caused single‑handed by Sun God Ge Weng.

After a deity falls, if enough followers continue to pray and accumulate faith power, there might be a chance of revival, but the probability is vanishingly small, essentially zero. First, the required faith power is immense; second, the time span is long; most importantly, the divine office has been seized by newer deities, even divided among several.

Sitting deities will never allow an old god to resurrect.

"Lord…" Habu roused Lei En's thoughts, "Do you wish to enter the Faded Sun Plane?"

Lei En glanced at him and asked, "What do you think the Sun‑Chasers tribe will demand of me?"

"I don't know," Habu shook his head.

The Soul Eye saw the Minotaur speaking truthfully, truly not knowing. Lei En asked for more information about the Sun‑Chasers, but the Sun‑walkers rarely interact with outsiders, even fellow Minotaurs, and Habu's knowledge of them is limited.

With only this scant information, Lei En could not make a judgment.

Nevertheless, he decided to make the trip, contact the Sun‑Chasers tribe, and see the Faded Sun Plane with his own eyes. Moreover, the Goddess is likely more aware of the hidden matters; she not only gave no objection but said there was no need to fear Sun God Ge Weng, which seemed a hint.

Thinking this, Lei En felt his heart open.

"Habu," he rose and said, "Lead me; we go to the Tairen Plateau right now."

"Now?" the Minotaur asked, puzzled.

"Yes. Any problem?"

"The road to Tairen Plateau is long; there are two main routes. One follows the northern outskirts of the Death Forest Sea..." Habu ranted on, noting that he returns to his tribe every few years to transport demon souls and supplies, requiring extensive preparation.

This round trip took a little over a month.

Lei En cut him off, "No need for all that hassle; we can teleport to Sain Plateau, then fly to Tairen Plateau—at most two days away."

"Yes, my Lord." Habu promptly fell silent.

Since the Extreme Warrior became renowned throughout the Empire, many have sought their origins, learning they are Makurag Barbarians from Sain Plateau, closely tied to Lord Glamorogen. Anyone who pays even slight attention to Lei En's movements can infer that the castle must contain a teleportation array.

Habu, long stationed in Mo Du, runs the Blood Hoof breeding farm within Glamorogen's domain, and is well aware of these rumors; he dares not appear overly curious, lest he provoke Lei En's displeasure.

Lei En waved toward the hall doorway, summoning an Extreme Warrior.

"Notify Xika Liusi, have two squads of brothers ready for combat; depart in ten minutes," he thought, then added, "Bring the new weapons this time."

"Yes, boss!"

The Extreme Warrior ran out, bang bang bang, looking excited.

A few minutes later, Boleqi hurried back into the castle from outside.

The dragon had been having a blast in Mo Du for the past two years; recently it somehow learned Madam Xialanwei's true identity, began circling a female steel dragon, gradually got sidetracked, concluded that commerce was far easier than constant fighting, and decided to invest jointly with her.

"Boss, are we going out?" Boleqi asked, somewhat reluctant.

"Hmm, to a place that interests you." Lei En glanced at the lavishly dressed Boleqi, silently shaking his head.

After Madam Xialanwei's tutelage, Boleqi now appears as a high‑society gentleman, impeccably dressed, whose words and manners betray nothing of his ferocious dragon nature.

"Where?" Boleqi's eyes lit up.

"You'll know when we get there."

Lei En gave a brief introduction of Habu; Boleqi was initially indifferent, but upon hearing that Habu owned Mo Du's largest demon‑soul breeding farm, he instantly became enthusiastic and struck up conversation.

Ha Bu knew this was the lord's mount, the three‑headed golden dragon, and felt a bit terrified.

Fortunately, the departure time had arrived.

Lei En led them into the castle's teleportation hall; Ha Bu saw the teleport array and thought, "Indeed, the rumors were true!"

The three were teleported to Jin Gang Fort, where Xi Ka Liu Si had two squads of Extreme Warrior already lined up.

Twenty‑five Extreme Warriors were all clad in heavy blue armor, but unlike before, they no longer carried massive ammunition boxes on their backs; the Bolan gun they held was replaced with a single‑handed Bolt Gun, and they bore a two‑handed greatsword that could also be wielded one‑handed.

Ha Bu was familiar with the image of Extreme Warriors and immediately noticed the Bolt Guns in their hands.

Somehow, his heart jumped inexplicably.

"Boss!"

Xi Ka Liu Si, at the front of the formation, shouted, "Extreme Corps First Regiment, the brothers of the first and second squads are ready."

"Then let's go!" Lei En ordered.

The two squads of Extreme Warriors ran out of the fort, and the ground rumbled.

Lei En took a black cloth from the Nebula Ring and said to Ha Bu, "I don't want outsiders to know this place for now, so I have to trouble you a bit."

"Lord, that's only proper," Ha Bu replied, understanding, and quickly took the black cloth, wrapping it around his face to cover his eyes.

He was a legendary Earth Walker; though his eyes were blind, his hearing and smell remained keen, and he followed Lei En's footsteps out of the fort. Instantly, wind rushed past his ears, and he realized he was in an open area, surrounded by a cacophony of voices and footsteps—all superhumans, likely in training.

A fierce airstream pressed down from above, accompanied by the roar of Flame Dragons.

Lei En opened a Void Gate, allowing the Extreme Warriors to herd the Flame Dragons into a taming space, and they swiftly passed through, emerging on a barren grassland about three hundred li northwest of Jin Gang Fort.

When the Void Gate closed, the Extreme Warriors summoned the Flame Dragons again and rode them up.

Bo Er Qi also revealed his true dragon form; Lei En flashed onto its neck and loudly said, "Ha Bu, it's ready."

The Minotaur removed the black cloth, and before him stood a massive three‑headed golden dragon, exuding terrifying draconic might, with twenty‑five Flame Dragons circling around, making it feel surrounded. Even as a legend who knew Lei En wouldn't harm him, he still felt immense pressure.

He looked around and realized he had reached the edge of the Shi Jie Shan Mai.

"Come up," Lei En said.

Seated below, Bo Er Qi was somewhat reluctant but dared not object; from the left, a red dragon's nostrils spewed a stream of crimson flame, and the rolling heat wave startled Ha Bu.

"Lord Bo Er Qi, apologies for the intrusion," Ha Bu said cautiously as he climbed the dragon's neck, his excitement barely concealed.

He had lived two hundred years; in his youth he led a soul‑hunting squad on countless adventures, encountering myriad monsters, yet never had the chance to ride a giant dragon's back and become a celebrated dragon knight—a dream many coveted.

Whoosh…

Bo Er Qi's golden‑gleaming wings vibrated as they lifted him into the air; the twenty‑five Flame Dragons followed closely, soon soaring high and heading northwest.

The Tairun Plateau lies on the western side of the Shi Jie Shan Mai, separated from the Sain Plateau by the mountain range.

If the Shi Jie Shan Mai were likened to a mountain beam, the two plateaus would be its slopes, extending east and west, descending in altitude. To the east of the Sain Plateau lies the Oriense Empire; to the west of the Tairun Plateau lies the western sea rocks of the Old Continent, commonly called the Demith Continent.

The Demith Continent is the elves' homeland, but in the New Era most of it is occupied by humans, who have developed dozens of human realms.

Among them, the most powerful is the Saref Empire, one of the three great empires; its people are fierce, fond of drink and combat, all worshipping Oden, the God of War and Courage, and aspire to become Heroic Spirit Warriors under the war god. They revere strength above all, and the empire's strongest is the emperor!

The Tairun Plateau borders the Saref Empire in some areas.

There are two routes from the Oriense Empire to the Saref Empire: one by ship across the sea; the other through the sole pass of the Shi Jie Shan Mai—the Sokrode Corridor—passing the Minotaur homeland of the Tairun Plateau, which typically takes a caravan three months.

Lei En was familiar with the Sokrode Corridor; it lies not far north of Karl Peak.

He had once spent half a month near Karl Peak searching for storm giants, and learned from the dwarf Bulaimit that an ancient red dragon dwells atop Karl Peak, warning that it must not be approached.

Bo Er Qi's dragon nest also lies within the Shi Jie Shan Mai; having heard of that ancient red dragon, he suggested taking a detour.

Ha Bu was also fairly familiar with the Shi Jie Shan Mai.

After discussion, Lei En charted a relatively safe route through the stretch of mountains north of Supreme Peak and south of Karl Peak, allowing a direct flight over the Shi Jie Shan Mai.

After half a day and a night of flying, with three rests en route, at dawn the party finally crossed the Shi Jie Shan Mai and entered the Tairun Plateau.

An endless grassland stretched across the horizon; looking down, it seemed a carpet of emerald, dotted with tranquil lakes, winding rivers, a gentle summer breeze, and beautiful scenery that lifted the spirit.

Lei En inhaled deeply and praised, "The Tairun Plateau's environment is far better than the Sain Plateau's; its resources and species are richer."

"This is the fertile water‑grass land bestowed by the Earth Mother upon the Minotaurs," Ha Bu said devoutly.

The Tairun Plateau covered only half the area of the Sain Plateau; after flying a few more hours, several strange peaks appeared ahead. They rose like colossal pillars, straight up and down, the tallest standing over a hundred meters above the ground, as if to be nearer the scorching sun.

The tops of these pillar peaks were flat, as if cut by a great force, bearing many wooden houses and tents; suspension bridges linked the peaks, and from afar one could see Minotaurs on the bridges.

Ha Bu gazed at the summit and shouted, "Lord, the Sun‑Chasing Tribe has arrived."

(End of Chapter)