Chapter 91: The Shadow Blade's Plan

It wasn't just Da Wen La He; the other demon‑slayers who saw Lei En also found it hard to believe.

Some of them hadn't seen Lei En, but they had all heard of his great name.

On Lei En's first day joining the demon‑slayer unit, he gravely wounded the second squad's captain Deris; everyone knew his strength was great, comparable to a Mid‑stage transcendent, but they hadn't expected Lei En to be this powerful!

Facing a siege of hundreds of Demons, he not only survived but appeared completely unscathed.

This was nothing short of a miracle!

In an instant, everyone's gaze fell on Lei En, full of curiosity.

Even comrades like Hagrofu and Milton seemed to be meeting Lei En for the first time, discovering that their teammate was so unfathomable.

"Lei En, what's going on?"

Da Wen La He suppressed his surprise and asked aloud.

Since he took office, this is the first time so many Demons have appeared in Longshandecheng.

In his memory, Longshande hadn't seen more than ten Demons at once in nearly a century, let alone at least three hundred Demon corpses in this warehouse—a serious matter that would surely alarm Title: Duke.

While questioning, Da Wen La He didn't forget the task; he immediately sent two healers to tend to Polok and Fuli Da.

The healers' ability to treat wounds was nearly on par with priests; they quickly patched up the injuries, and the patients looked much better.

Their lives were safe, but having just suffered severe injuries left them mentally exhausted.

Lei En pointed at Te La Wei Qi's headless corpse and replied, "He became a Fallen, lay low for months, and opened an Abyssal Gate."

"Abyssal Gate!"

The demon‑slayers all inhaled sharply; even though they'd guessed the possibility, hearing Lei En state it still frightened them greatly.

The Abyssal Gate is an indelible painful memory in the minds of all intelligent races.

Each appearance of an Abyssal Gate brings forth a massive horde of Demons, like a breached dam; the Demon tide destroys everything, slaughters, sets fires, harvests souls, and even if the Demons are eventually eradicated, the massive damage cannot be undone.

As time passes, the Abyssal Gate widens, and the Demons that emerge become increasingly stronger and more numerous.

Only by destroying the Abyssal Gate at the earliest moment can disaster be averted.

Da Wen La He's complexion changed dramatically, and his heart trembled.

If the Abyssal Gate hadn't been discovered in time and was allowed to expand, its sudden eruption in Longshandecheng would have had unimaginable consequences.

Longshande has a Holy Soul Wizard stationed, so a single Abyssal Gate couldn't destroy the city, but it would certainly cause massive losses, and it's unknown how many would die by Demon claws.

Fortunately, it was destroyed!

Da Wen La He first felt lingering fear, then relief, and finally turned to anger and confusion: "How did Te La Wei Qi obtain an Abyssal Crystal?"

He instantly spotted the black‑green crystal on Te La Wei Qi's corpse.

"That's the question I wanted to know as well."

Kai Nie Ji walked over and introduced himself: "Grand Commander, I am the Vice President of the Mechanical Guild, Kai Nie Ji Luo Ke Fei Er. Te La Wei Qi is my subordinate; he lay low for months, used the guild to acquire many materials, erected a rune array, and opened an Abyssal Gate."

He paused, his expression serious: "However, our Mechanical Guild absolutely has no Abyssal Crystals; he could not have obtained this contraband from the guild."

The Abyssal Crystal is classified as the top‑most contraband in any race or nation of Ai Lun E Si.

It is absolutely forbidden for trade, research, or any other use; it must be destroyed immediately.

Anyone possessing an Abyssal Crystal will be deemed to have committed treason against the nation and race, and will be executed on the spot once discovered.

Da Wen La He looked at Kai Nie Ji, and the doubt in his eyes remained unresolved.

Lei En hurriedly explained, "Mr. Kai Nie Ji also took part in the battle and, together with us, helped destroy the Abyssal Gate."

"Thank you, Vice President, for your assistance."

Da Wen La He's expression softened: "We will investigate this matter thoroughly."

He walked to Te La Wei Qi's corpse, picked up the palm‑sized Abyssal Crystal, examined it carefully, then, with gloved hands, squeezed it until it shattered.

With a "Bang!" the Abyssal Crystal burst into countless shards, scattering on the ground.

Even shattered, he was still uneasy.

Da Wen La He summoned a demon‑slayer, had them dig up the entire layer of ground containing the crystal fragments, carried the soil to the dock, and dumped it all into the Fei Lei Ge Lun River.

Kai Nie Ji greeted Lei En, retrieved his mechanical armor, and left in haste. He needed to return to the Mechanical Guild to handle the aftermath so as not to bring ill effect to the guild.

Shortly after, the director of the Security Bureau—a legendary magic swordsman—arrived at the dock warehouse.

Accompanying the director were numerous security officers; when they saw the warehouse floor littered with Demon corpses, their faces turned pale, and they pinched their noses while dealing with the scene.

On the dock outside the warehouse, Lei En carefully recounted the whole incident.

There was no one else around; Polok and Fuli Da were urgently sent back to the Security Bureau for further treatment.

The only listeners were Da Wen La He and the Security Bureau director Fei Li Ang.

Fei Li Ang's appearance was that of an elegant middle‑aged noble: tall and slender, wearing a fitted custom suit, a splendid side‑sword at his waist, hair meticulously groomed, two elegant moustache strokes on his upper lip, a gentle complexion, speaking calmly and deliberately, exuding the confidence of a true gentleman.

Lei En dared not use his Soul Eye to observe the director, lest an accident occur.

He recounted everything—from receiving the report, to the on‑site investigation, discovering the warehouse via the Mechanical Guild's magical scanner, and the recent battle.

He wasn't deliberately hiding anything.

He only simplified the demon‑elimination process a bit, attributing part of the credit to Kai Nie Ji, the high‑rank mechanic, thereby downplaying his own role.

After all, he had only become a transcendent for two months yet possessed such astonishing power, which was hard to explain.

After hearing Lei En's account, Fei Li Ang's expression remained calm.

His gaze swept over Lei En twice, then he asked abruptly, "Steel Body?"

Lei En's expression flickered; he nodded lightly and admitted, "Yes."

He wasn't surprised, knowing it was only a matter of time before it was discovered. Surviving such a Demon onslaught unscathed clearly indicated an extremely powerful defensive Element.

As a legendary transcendent, Fei Li Ang finding out it was a Steel Body was unsurprising.

"Interesting," Fei Li Ang laughed. "A Level‑1 Wizard possessing a supreme Element, and a Steel Body at that—no wonder you survived; even I feel a bit envious."

"I was just lucky," Lei En said, his face full of humility.

Da Wen Lahe standing beside him was dumbfounded, frozen for several seconds before reacting and shouting, "I told you the kid was strange; the day I first saw you I thought you were an iron guard, but it turns out you have the steel body Element!"

"Damn, you a Wizard actually have a steel body…"

Da Wen Lahe's expression was vivid, looking at Lei En with both envy and frustration, not knowing what to say.

Having been an iron guard and now a steel knight, Da Wen Lahe's most coveted Element is the steel body.

Unfortunately, the superlative Element is far too rare; one sees it only a few times in a lifetime.

He has several defensive Elements, each powerful, yet even combined they don't match a single steel body.

If the steel body appeared on other iron guards or other melee classes, Da Wen Lahe would only be envious, but it ended up on a Wizard.

Even though Lei En is a combat Wizard and can wield the steel body's power, Da Wen Lahe still feels awkward, suppressed, and unbearably frustrated.

If Fei Li'ang weren't present, he'd immediately drag Lei En into a fight to test the steel body's defense and vent his pent‑up frustration.

Fei Li'ang thought for a moment and said, "This isn't simple at all."

"The Transcendent's curse flare‑ups aren't rare; a caster becomes a fallen one every two or three years, but having a fallen caster obtain an Abyss crystal and open the Abyssal Gate isn't something coincidence can explain."

"If Te La Wei Qi hadn't been accidentally exposed, causing insufficient time and a rushed early opening of the Abyssal Gate, the outcome would be uncertain."

Fei Li'ang's expression grew solemn.

Lei En and Da Wen Lahe both wore composed faces; they had thought of that as well.

Te La Wei Qi's curse flare‑up and acquisition of the Abyss crystal could very likely be orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.

Obviously, this is a plot targeting Longshande, i. e., targeting the Silver Star Title: Duke.

Lei En immediately thought of Shadow Blade and the recent swarm of evil‑god cultists lurking in Longshande.

Could this be their doing?

If so, how did they cause Te La Wei Qi to fall?

Did they deliberately wound Te La Wei Qi, lure him to fall, then hand him the Abyss crystal?

Lei En also recalled a crucial point.

Te La Wei Qi's home is also on Chamri Street, not far from Sir Ebuli's house that Lei En reported last time, only a few hundred meters away. The two are likely acquainted, so Te La Wei Qi was chosen as the fallen executor of the plan.

What exactly are these evil‑god cultists after?

Lei En pondered in his mind.

If today he failed to locate Te La Wei Qi, and the Abyssal Gate opened to its limit, summoning countless Demons, how would the situation unfold?

Countless Demons would ravage Longshande, setting fires and slaughtering, plunging the entire city into disaster.

As Longshande's lord, the Silver Star Title: Duke must dispatch all forces to eradicate the Demons, including the Silver‑armored Knight Order, the Secret Fire Guard, and every Wizard in Wu Shi Ta, all to join the battle.

Predictably, the Duke himself will also act personally, leaving Wu Shi Ta.

At that thought, Lei En felt a jolt.

The Wizards stationed inside Wu Shi Ta and those outside differ vastly in strength.

In Ai Lun E Si, killing a Holy Soul Wizard who controls Wu Shi Ta or Fu Kong Cheng is as hard as slaying a god; no one has ever succeeded.

And Shadow Blade's plan is to draw the Silver Star Title: Duke out of Wu Shi Ta!

(End of Chapter)