Chapter 657: Immemorial Mystical Armament, the Phoenix Tail Stone
“If I did not become a slave, then he would kill me!” Seth said with his heart palpitating heavily.
Xia Fei was stunned. “Who would kill you?”
Seth was ultimately a defense type expert, so someone who could perhaps threaten him to become a slave must be a super expert!
“I’d better start from several months ago.” Seth gulped, making the choice to reveal everything about himself.
“As you know, I’m a mercenary who specializes in traveling everywhere to make a living by capturing slaves. I’ve worked hard all those years and finally accumulated quite a bit of fame and fortune. I originally planned to wash my hands of the business entirely, finding somewhere quiet to live out the rest of my life, but this was when a slave trader by the name of Lu Yuming came looking for me, giving me an offer too good to refuse. He wanted me to bring my men and clear out a particular village for him, capturing everyone there and bringing them in.
“I reckon that doing one last job before officially retiring wasn’t a bad idea. After all, the price the Lu person offered was high. I would be able to earn additional funds for my retirement and help my brothers better land on their feet for the future. As such, I agreed to his offer and led my brothers to a desolate planet.
“The work progressed quite smoothly at the start. Though the red-skinned Flame Imps are powerful, they lack any brains to speak of. We first sent them a batch of gifts, causing an uneven distribution in the village and thereby fanning the flames of dissent and internal fighting among their ranks. After several of their most outstanding warriors were heavily injured, I brought my comrades in and took care of the Flame Imps in one fell swoop!
“That’s usually how we captured slaves. My comrades were all familiar with the operation, so we managed to capture more than half of the tribe, which had more than thirty thousand civilians, successfully completing our mission.”
Seth was pleased with his methods as he spoke about it, but his expression slowly turned grim as the topic shifted.
“Just as we were getting ready to hand in the cargo shipment, a big and tall Lionheart appeared from one of the huts among the tribe! Lionhearts were of the Demon Race, and we would rarely see them appear anywhere in the Exiled Grounds. Not only did this individual have a Great Law Emperor cultivation, he even had a strange stone which was shaped like a diamond, looking very much like the tail of a pheasant.
“That stone’s really powerful; it’s like a living weapon that could travel anywhere in the air. My poor comrades who were thousands strong all got slaughtered by him, and if not for my Crag Defense, I might’ve died right there and then, too!
“Thinking about it now, that was truly a harrowing experience. Had he used his full strength, I would have at most lasted ten minutes. If he were to break my Crag Defense, my life would be gone! That Lionheart Warrior gave me two options: be killed by him or become a slave. That’s why I ended up here with the Liu family, selling myself as a slave.”
Xia Fei carefully observed Seth’s expression and realized he was not lying. With this, the issue of why Seth had become a slave was resolved. He had been forced into slavery!
The communicator allowed Xia Fei to see the Lionheart emperor in his retinas, and what he saw was the old demon getting abnormally excited.
“Ask him just how that Lionheart looked; where did he stay and what was his name!” Oro shouted, his two eyes almost ablaze.
Xia Fei had no idea why Oro had such a huge reaction, so he asked Seth for further details about that Lionheart he had run into, all the while harboring his doubts in his heart.
“I don’t know his name, but I’ll never forget his looks my whole life. He didn’t have a whole body of golden fur the Lionhearts have. The left side of this Great Law Emperor’s head was half bald, while what remaining fur he had there was fiery red, like half a firework. Plus, there were five distinct claw marks on the bald portion as if a wild beast had forcibly torn off his fur! It’s utterly terrifying! He was wearing the mask that Lionhearts would often have on, so I couldn’t make out his facial features.
“He was huge, though, no shorter than six meters! Every step he took left a deep dent on the ground! From what he said, he’s living on the same planet as the red-skinned Flame Imps, cultivating some relationship after a long time. He only acted to stop me after seeing me and my men ransack the tribe, and killing everyone else was merely a warning. The next time he sees me, he promises to kill me and drink my blood!”
Seth was stammering when he said that. From the look of horror on his face, the Great Law Emperor from the Lionheart Clan must have left a frightening impression on him, so much so that he broke out in a cold sweat just by recalling the incident.
“I’ve never seen anyone break my Crag Defense so easily like what you did. I do believe that your cultivation is definitely substantial, so please let me follow you! That Great Law Emperor from the Lionheart Clan still has that stone in his hand, and it’s practically a divine weapon of sorts! Every night I will have nightmares about it! My days have been an intolerable living hell ever since!” Seth pleaded incessantly.
Xia Fei did not give him an answer. He was attentively watching Oro’s reaction, uncertain of just what was making him so infuriated.
“Buy this person and have him lead us to where we can find that Lionheart warrior,” the old demon lord said in a somber voice after letting loose a rage-filled roar.
Xia Fei was surprised. “Why? Do you know this person Seth described?”
“Not only do I know him, he’s even the one I’ve been searching for the many times I went to the Exiled Grounds! Heavens are truly kind. Quinn, after tens of thousands of years, you’re finally about to fall into my hands!” Lionheart Emperor Oro’s two eyes were bloodshot as he said this through clenched teeth.
“That Great Law Emperor goes by the name of Quinn?”
“Correct! After hearing Seth’s description of him, I’m absolutely certain that he’s Quinn. Those five marks were the souvenirs I left him many years ago. I wouldn’t forget it even if I turned into ashes!”
Xia Fei thought about this for a while before asking, “That’s not right. He’s only at a Great Law Emperor cultivation, so there’s no way he should have survived all these years. Could you be mistaken?”
Oro had an immortal body, and it must have been several tens of thousands of years when they became nemesis, so how could he still be alive until now? Xia Fei felt that there must be some sort of mistake here.
Oro let out a long sigh. “While it’s true that a Great Law Emperor can’t live that long, he’ll be able to if he has the Law of Life! As the last inheritor of the Law of Life, I personally taught Quinn the law because he was my disciple.”
‘YOUR DISCIPLE?!’
After a brief moment of silence, Xia Fei quietly waited for Lionheart Emperor Oro to calm down and tell him about this sordid past.
“Quinn was once a member of the Lionheart royalty, bearing blood relation to me. Ever since young, Quinn has demonstrated unique talent, becoming a Law Adept by the age of twelve, a Law Sovereign by the age of fourteen, attaining Law Emperor cultivation by sixteen and Great Law Emperor by seventeen. He specialized in the Law of Darkness.”
Everyone in the clan admired him greatly, and as the patriarch back then, I personally took him in as my disciple, not only imparting him law powers but also the most important Law of Life. Quinn indeed didn’t disappoint me, becoming famous in the circle in just a handful of years, with everyone singing praises of the Lionheart birthing yet another genius possessing outstanding talent.”
“Unfortunately, these good times didn’t last. While I was away, Quinn stole the most important heirloom of my clan, the Phoenix Tail Stone, subsequently subduing it. In a fit of anger, I injured him and his seventh brain region was also severely mangled by me. He escaped to the Exiled Grounds with the help of the Phoenix Tail Stone, and I’ve come here many times since in search of him, yet I’ve never been able to locate him.”
Xia Fei was startled. “The Phoenix Tail Stone! Out of the five major elements metal, wood, water, fire, and earth that the immemorial mystical armaments were split into, earth has the Four Stones of the Southern Star, namely Phoenix Tail Stone, Distant Void Stone, Skydestroyer Stone, and Flowing Cloud Stone! Are you telling me that the Phoenix Tail Stone is that very immemorial mystical armament?”
Oro nodded. “That’s correct. The Four Stones of the Southern Star were once in the possession of the Lionheart Clan, and our ancestor once merged all four armaments into one weapon, thereby establishing the superb status that we of the Lionhearts now enjoy. Unfortunately, the four stones scattered into the winds after our ancestor died, and we of the Lionhearts only managed to find just one after much effort, and that’s the Phoenix Tail Stone. However, it ended up being stolen by that unloyal ingrate, Quinn!”
Xia Fei shook his head, puzzled. “From what I know, it’s difficult for the immemorial mystical armament to accept a master, and since Quinn was a disciple whom you favored and even been accepted by the Phoenix Tail Stone, though it’s wrong of him to steal the stone, you shouldn’t have hunted him down for it just to end his life. Wouldn’t just disciplining such a talented individual suffice?”
Xia Fei felt that it was far too harsh to lose their life for stealing something. Anyone would make mistakes in their youth, and what mattered was to learn from them.
The old demon lord growled. “He must die, not because he stole the Phoenix Tail Stone, but because he killed his own father when he was discovered!”
Xia Fei was speechless now. It turned out Quinn had been so ruthless in his methods and actually committed patricide just to protect himself! Death alone would not be enough to atone for the wickedness of the act!
“Quinn’s father was my cousin. He didn’t have any talent, but he had been loyal and honest his entire life. I trusted the man greatly, which was why I entrusted plenty of important secrets to him, yet despite being cautious his whole life, he ended up being killed by his own son. Tell me, why would I not seek to kill such a b*st*rd?! Doesn’t he deserve death?”
Oro’s anger surged. He wished he could just charge out and kill Quinn with his two hands right now!
“No doubt, he’s probably stagnated as a Great Law Emperor this whole time ever since I injured his seventh brain region, unable to progress his cultivation all this time. It’s too bad that I’ve also imparted him with the Law of Life, which is how he still lives even to this day!” The old demon lord was angrily shouting yet again.
Xia Fei completely understood how he felt. It was no wonder why Oro had been so exasperated earlier. Such an evildoer must indeed be killed, and letting Quinn live would be letting down Oro’s loyal and honest cousin.
Thus, many years had gone by, and Quinn must have felt that the Lionheart’s hunt for him ended, which was why he had so boldly resurfaced in the Exiled Grounds. By a remarkable coincidence, it just so happened that Xia Fei and Oro would now be crossing paths with him.
“Even if you let me out now, I won’t have the power to kill Quinn. After all, my cultivation in this life has been severed, and it will take some years before I can be reborn and start cultivating again; however, I don’t have the slightest intention of letting such a b*st*rd live a minute longer! Xia Fei, you must help me kill him!” Oro howled.
Xia Fei smiled. “I am quite willing to help you do this, but Quinn has the cultivation of a Great Law Emperor. Even the level 2 Law Emperor Seth with his Law of Defense was frightened to the point of pissing his pants. I’m afraid that it will take quite the effort if I fight with him. Besides, with age comes wisdom. Quinn has lived for over ten thousand years thanks to his cultivation of the Law of Life. I can’t be too hasty when dealing with someone like that; I must slowly plan and strategize.”
Oro was somewhat dissatisfied with Xia Fei’s answer. “Quinn has the Phoenix Tail Stone, while you have the enhanced Peacock Blue; there’s no need for you to be afraid of him at all! Besides, I’m the one who imparted those skills to Quinn, so no one will know how to counter him better than I do!
“The Immemorial Mystical Armament Peacock Blue is also the Nine Night Plum after its fusion, becoming a completely new weapon. There’s basically no better test subject than the Phoenix Tail Stone if we want to see just what effect it has! No time to think; let’s head out immediately!”
Xia Fei was a little shocked. Peacock Blue versus Phoenix Tail Stone? Indeed, this was a situation that excited him quite a bit.