Chapter 520: Holy Light Legion

Boorqi and the flock of fire dragons flew toward the mountain summit; even from several miles away, their massive silhouettes alarmed the tribes on the mountain.

Amid the "ding‑dang" chimes, sturdy minotaurs charged out one after another.

Under the scorching sun, many minotaurs were bathed in golden radiance—the power of Holy Light—raising their weapons into defensive formations to protect their homes.

As they drew nearer, the minotaurs could see Boorqi clearly; the terrifying dragon aura spread over everything, and some minotaurs whose will was not firm saw fear flash in their eyes and began to retreat.

"Ring of Resolve!"

A resonant roar echoed through the tribe, followed by a series of shining light circles. As the circles spread, any fear in the eyes of minotaurs touched by the light was swept away, and they held their ground, facing the giant dragon in the sky.

Lei En's eye caught the minotaur emitting the aura.

"Lord," Habu, perched on the red dragon's neck, whispered, "That is the chief of the Sunseeker tribe, Degiko Sunseeker; he is a Legendary High-rank Sunlit Walker."

Lei En nodded in acknowledgement and barked, "Boorqi, restrain your dragon aura."

That is the nature of a great dragon, especially a malicious one: even when it knows the target isn't an enemy, it still unleashes its dragon aura to intimidate, flaunting its might to assert its presence. Though Boorqi has been subdued for years, at heart he remains a dragon devoted to Tiayaxisi, occasionally revealing his evil nature.

A dog can't stop eating feces; a malicious dragon can't stop devouring people.

"Understood, boss."

Boorqi muttered a low response, withdrew his dragon aura, and slowed his approach toward the summit.

Without the dragon's intimidation, the minotaurs were less fearful; they also saw riders on the backs of the great dragon and the fire dragons, guessed the newcomers might be guests, and watched Lei En's party with curiosity.

The overwhelming majority of minotaurs fixed their gaze on Boorqi, whispering among themselves.

Lei En hadn't formally studied the minotaur tongue, knowing only simple daily phrases, but that didn't stop him from understanding; he opened the translation app on his phone, instantly rendering the minotaurs' words clearly.

"Gold Dragon!"

"Sun…"

A minotaur exclaimed, "A Gold Dragon is visiting the tribe; this is the world's oldest race that wields Holy Light power. Could he be a follower of Anse?"

"Definitely not!" another minotaur, still shaken, retorted, "Didn't you see? He has three heads; he must be a malicious dragon."

"There are humans on the Gold Dragon's back; is he a dragon rider?"

"There are many fire dragons; they came from the Saen Plateau," a seasoned minotaur hunting master guessed accurately.

Various comments reached his ears; Lei En smiled knowingly and kept Boorqi hovering in the air just outside the cliff, only a dozen meters above the summit. Directly below was a vast open area, apparently the Sunseeker tribe's council plaza, where over a hundred fully armed elite minotaurs stood, including the chief.

Habu rose from the dragon's neck and shouted, "Chief Degiko, I am Habu Bloodhoof; you haven't forgotten me, have you?"

As soon as his words ended, Lei En heard a chorus of condemnation.

"Habu Bloodhoof, this guy still dares to come back!"

"That swindler!"

"He bought a high‑rank land bird's demon soul from me, paying only a few hundred Gold Shields; I'll settle the score later…"

Habu himself heard it, gave an awkward chuckle, and fortunately a gentle voice from below eased the tension: "Welcome, honored guest, to Bright Cliff; please come down."

Boorqi landed on the summit plaza; the powerful gusts from his wings forced the minotaurs to retreat, and only a few strong ones could stay rooted, facing the massive creature up close. Habu leapt down, and Lei En used the dragon's wings as steps, descending slowly.

The fire dragons in the sky descended one by one, crowding the plaza so tightly that there was nowhere to stand.

"Put them away, all of them."

Xikalius shouted loudly, and the Extreme Warriors herded the fire dragons into a taming chamber; flashes of white light flickered, and they vanished entirely.

Seeing this, the minotaurs grew even more astonished, continually sizing up the warriors clad entirely in blue armor, who were only slightly shorter than themselves; though there were only twenty‑something of them, the aura they exuded felt inexplicably dangerous.

The leading minotaur chief's face was also flashing with strange colors, appearing a bit dazed.

"Chief Degiko."

Habu stepped forward and introduced, "This is the distinguished guest from the Empire I mentioned earlier: the Earl of Glamorgan, Duke Augustus, Chairman of the Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng, student of the great Holy Soul Wizard Anxiwodasi, and His Excellency Ryan Augustus."

The lengthy list of titles sounded imposing, each weighty, causing the surrounding minotaurs to fall silent, their gazes shifting from Boorqi to Lei En.

The minotaur chief had known this beforehand, yet upon actually seeing Lei En, a solemn expression remained.

Lei En also observed the other side.

Degiko stood taller than the other minotaurs, roughly 2.7 meters tall; his majestic, robust frame was clad in pale gold armor, a single‑handed hammer hung at his waist, comparable to a human's two‑handed war hammer, and he bore a square shield weighing three to four hundred pounds.

His twin horns were dark‑gold, like blades extending from either side of his head; his massive pupils glowed gold, and the tips of his mane and braids shimmered with golden light. The vast Holy Light power almost overflowed, like a sun that felt warm yet would scorch if approached too closely.

The Soul Eye also pierced his details: over six hundred years old, more than half of the thirty‑plus elemental factors in his soul were linked to Holy Light—spells, protection, healing, support—while the remainder comprised various potent physical attributes and combat techniques.

By the standards of the Transcendent, this Sunlit Walker ranks at level eighteen!

Moreover, he is the kind of all‑round Transcendent who can tank, deal damage, and heal; as a mercenary or adventurer he would be the most sought‑after talent, with countless people scrambling for him.

Beside Chief Degiko were several minotaurs who were also Legendary Sunlit Walkers: two Legendary Mid-stage and five Legendary Initial-stage, three of whom were female, each over a hundred years old, exuding Holy Light.

All the minotaurs around the plaza were Sunlit Walkers; most were only Initial-stage, with Mid-stage making up thirty percent and High-stage ten percent.

Lei En was surprised; these were only the minotaurs he could see.

Habu said the Sunseeker tribe had nearly a thousand members; if the same proportion of Sunlit Walkers applied, the tribe's overall strength would be immense, several times that of the original Makurag people, enough to form a formidable Holy Light Legion.

Degiko did not realize that Lei En, in an instant, had roughly gauged his tribe's strength.

He bowed slightly, speaking in imperfect Imperial language, "May Holy Light be with you; welcome, esteemed Lei En, to Bright Cliff."

"I apologize for the unannounced visit; please forgive me, Chief," Lei En replied in simple minotaur speech.

He stepped forward, extended his hand, and grasped it; the massive fan‑shaped palm completely covered his own hand, and both felt each other's strength.

Degiko instantly looked puzzled, "Are you truly a wizard?"

Lei En had been asked this countless times, so he smiled and explained, "I am a battle wizard, different from ordinary wizards. Rest assured, Chief, any ability a wizard possesses, a battle wizard also does, aside from the combat style."

"That's good, that's good..."

Degiko's massive head bobbed up and down, and he let out a sigh of relief.

His reaction made Lei En even more certain that the other party sought something from him, and that it related to wizardry, more precisely to magical knowledge. To outsiders, a wizard's deepest impression, beyond being a powerful caster, is mastery of vast, profound magical lore.

"Everyone, disperse," Chief Degiko turned and shouted to his people, then said to Lei En, "Please, follow me."

The minotaurs left reluctantly, returning to their posts.

At this moment Bo Erqi assumed human form; because he was out of Mo Du, he habitually put on the light‑forged holy armor, and the golden‑shimmering armor instantly caught the bull‑headed people's eyes, making them pause.

"Sun Knight!"

"This is the Sun Knight… damned blasphemer, kill him!"

The bull‑headed people's eyes turned red as if they had seen a red banner, instantly reddening; their faces filled with anger and hatred, they raised their hammers, their bodies cloaked in holy light, and rushed toward Bo Erqi like madmen. Some also raised a finger, and a beam of scorching sunlight descended from the sky, striking Bo Erqi's crown.

"Stop!"

De Ji Ke shouted, and erected a golden shield ten meters in diameter.

The charging bull‑headed were kept outside by the shield, but the sunlight beam still hit Bo Erqi's crown; fortunately a layer of holy‑light barrier appeared on the armor, leaving him unharmed.

Bo Erqi, unwilling to be attacked, let out a roar and tried to reveal his true draconic form; with a "snap", Lei En slapped him to the ground and scolded, "Be honest with me, don't cause trouble."

Dizzy and throbbing, Bo Erqi stood up, craning his neck and not daring to resist, whispering, "Yes, boss."

"Take off that armor."

"Yes, boss."

Bo Erqi obediently switched to a plain black‑iron armor, bowed his head and stood behind Lei En without a word, completely lacking the draconic majesty.

Only then Lei En turned back, apologetically saying, "Your Excellency Chief, Bo Erqi didn't mean it; he is certainly not a Sun Knight, he merely acquired a set of light‑forged holy armor and likes to wear it to deceive, and harbors no ill will toward any of you."

"No problem, no problem."

De Ji Ke, seeing Lei En handle Bo Erqi that way, felt embarrassed to press further, nodded and said, "It was a misunderstanding; my tribe members were too impulsive, blinded by hatred."

He withdrew the shield, glared at the few bull‑headed who had acted, and barked, "Get back quickly!"

The bull‑headed also heard Lei En's explanation and scurried away in disgrace.

"Your Excellency, please follow me."

De Ji Ke again extended a sincere invitation; Lei En gladly accepted, and Ha Bu stayed beside them to translate for the two, even though Lei En didn't need it. Xi Ka Liu Si led two squads of Extreme Warriors in his wake, their heavy yet orderly footsteps drawing the curious gazes of the bull‑headed wherever they passed.

The summit of Bright Cliff is spacious, and its building layout is simple.

The bull‑headed's dwellings are built along the edge of the cliff top; most houses have rock foundations, massive logs as the main structure, and thick beast hides covering the roofs, capable of withstanding strong wind, rain, and snow. Dried bacon and fish hang under the eaves, showing abundant food, and the young bull‑headed are often robust, each full of vigor.

A mountain top resembles a small town, inevitably featuring a spacious plaza.

In the center of the plaza stands a massive stone pillar totem, bearing relief carvings that have become blurred with age, making details indistinguishable; only the top of the totem shows a huge sun radiating light outward.

Bright Cliff has six summits, each less than a hundred meters apart, linked by rope suspension bridges.

Lei En and the Extreme Warriors followed De Ji Ke across a suspension bridge; the planks beneath them swayed, making him doubt whether they could bear his and the Extreme Warriors' weight.

The suspension bridge is a hundred meters above the ground; falling oneself would be fine, but the Extreme Warriors would surely be injured.

However, seeing that the heavier De Ji Ke had no problem, he relaxed and let everyone cross the bridge in batches.

The peak opposite the suspension bridge is the highest point of Bright Cliff, also centrally located; the other five peaks are irregularly scattered around. The stone pillar totem in this plaza stands twenty meters tall, requiring three or four people to embrace, and Lei En felt an intense heat upon it.

The stone pillar totem extends deep underground, its age of standing here unknown, exuding a sense of antiquity and remoteness.

At this moment, dozens of bull‑headed circle the plaza, half‑kneeling around the stone pillar totem in silent prayer, a faint glow emanating from them—that is holy light.

These bull‑headed prayers are deeply devout, eyes half‑closed, not glancing at the Chief or Lei En.

When De Ji Ke passed the stone pillar, he also halted, whispered a few prayers toward it, and finally proclaimed, "May the holy light protect the sun‑chaser."

Lei En shook his head inwardly, feeling a hint of astonishment.

The Soul Eye observed the bull‑headed; they are the most devout believers, meeting the standards of fanatics, even more intense. Yet their flame of faith is extremely dim, like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment, indicating that the deity they worship has already fallen and cannot respond.

He had seen a similar situation before, with his dwarf friend Zuo Ertan, whose faith in the forging and craftsman god Mola Ding was the same.

However, the bull‑headed's worship of the "God of the Scorching Sun" An Se seems somewhat better than Mola Ding's.

A faint thread of the bull‑headed's faith power emerged from their crowns and entered the stone pillar totem before them, indicating the faith power has been received!

Although merely a subtle change, this is definitely a good sign.

Only a deity can absorb faith power; if it is a fallen deity, that faith power converts into divine power, accumulating over time, and after a long period the deity may have a chance of revival!

Lei En was stunned inside, wondering if the God of the Scorching Sun truly intends to revive.

(End of Chapter)