At the heart of the central dead continent was a towering mountain reaching all the way to the sky, and its peaks were hidden within the black cloud ring, and no one dared to approach it.
One of the reasons was this mountain was filled with dark energy, and it was so potent that even tier-9 unique rank dark beings wouldn't be able to handle it for more than a few minutes before.
The main reason was that this mountain was the seclusion place of the Faction Leader and was known as the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain. The only people who could climb this mountain were the five dead kings, and they even needed the Dead Emperor's consent before they dared to step anywhere near the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain!
At the top of the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain was a large black shrine with two black gargoyle statues sitting at its open entrance, which were completely pitch black, like the maw of an abyss.
At this moment, five figures were kneeling in front of the entrance without making any sound.
"You all may leave now, and remember, I don't want something like this to happen again. Capture the livestock within seven days, or you can all nominate your successor on the 8th day." A ghostly, ethereal voice filled with authority sounded, making the five dead kings tremble.
"As your majesty biding!"
The five of them replied before they vanished like a smock; they knew if they failed to find this intruder who was killing their people here and there, they would really have to give up on their position.
Because this intruder has directly challenged the dignity of the Dead Faction and if they failed to capture him or let him leave, the Dead Faction would become the laughingstock of the unique plains.
It was the first time that the Dead Emperor had to seek them out and instruct them personally. This intruder has touched the Dead Emperor's bottom line.
After all, the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain was the heart of the Dead Faction territory, and every island was connected with it. Any unusual activity will be instantly noticed by the Dead Emperor.
In truth, the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain was an unfathomable treasure, and this treasure was the main reason the dead faction could claim so many inhabited islands and make the other factions wary.
Furthermore, with the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain under the Dead Emperor's control, no one could challenge his authority, and he was invincible in this place.
Once the five dead kings left, the Dead Emperor's voice rang again, "Contact the Zodiac Night Federation Master for me!"
Just as his majestic voice trailed off, the two gargoyle statues' eyes began to shimmer in crimson light, and magic runes appeared in front of the shrine.
The next moment, a projection of a blurry silhouette appeared, and an impassive voice as heavy as a mountain reverberated, "How fortunate, I was trying to get in contact with Faction Leader Necro. You are quite a hard person to get in contact with."
"Ryan, drop your ruse and tell me who this person is, or suffer the consequences!" Dead Emperor Necro coldly demanded.
The Federation Master Ryan didn't seem to be worried about his tone and impassively asked, "Did you capture him? If you tell me the truth, I'll tell you what you want to know, and I'm even willing to form an alliance with Dead Faction! I've heard you have been trying to claim another large size island for decades, but the Life Faction is also not backing down. I can help you with that and more."
Necro remained silent for a moment before coldly replied, "No, he's still roaming free, but he'll die horribly very soon. Just who is this? You are even willing to take sides. Don't tell me he stole your federation's Legacy Treasure?"
"He's still not captured?" Ryan sounded surprised as he knew just how dangerous the dead faction territory was, and no one could just barge in and then roam free.
Even he or the Life Faction Leader won't be able to do this without getting encircled by the Dark Beings.
"Since you're being honest, I'll be direct with you as well. This intruder is none other than the person everyone is searching for, Captain Free Sword!" Ryan revealed.
If he could, Ryan didn't want to reveal this information to anyone, but he knew they had missed their chance to capture Captain Free Sword, and now that he had entered the Dead Faction territory, he'd be captured eventually, and they wouldn't let him leave Scot free.
Furthermore, even if he made up some lie, Necro would never agree to spare him since it would mean showing weakness. But they need Captain Free Sword alive, so he's been trying to contact him since he heard the report of mission failure.
But the Dead Emperor was most troublesome to get in contact with, and he almost decided to make a trip personally. However, out of his expectation, Necro contacted him on his own, so he was ready to negotiate the terms.
Yet, unexpectedly, Captain Free Sword was far more capable than anyone expected, and he's still not being captured. Still, this changes nothing since he was still in the dead faction territory, and from Necro's tone, it was quite clear he was enraged and wouldn't spare him.
Necro contacting him was probably out of curiosity and one of his schemes to find his true identity so he could then kill anyone remotely related to Captain Free Sword.
"What? You're telling me this vermin is the same pest who triggered the Path of Legend?!" Necro's voice boomed with clear disbelief and a tingle of excitement.
"Indeed." Ryan gravely said, "From our investigation, he's Captain Free Sword, and we've been chasing him since he appeared in the unique plains. But he's far too cunning, and his means are strange.
"Nonetheless, since he's now in your territory, I won't fight over him with you. In fact, I want to form an alliance; as long as you find him, you will have our full support, and I'm also willing to give the dead faction 10 Medallions to show my sincerity.
"In return, I want you to take all the qualified people in the path of legend from the federation. I'm also sure that with the key in your hand, all the neutral faction powers will stand behind you, and the life factions won't have any chance to enter the path of legend.
"Lastly, the path of legend is filled with danger, and it won't be easy to cross it. So, with all of us together, we can protect each other from other galaxies. I won't mind telling you an ancient secret recorded in our federation records if you're willing to share the location and key!" Ryan solemnly stated.
A contemplative silence fell in the vicinity, but Ryan didn't hurry Necro and patiently waited. He knew if Necro disagreed, then the Dead Faction would be facing joint attacks from the Life Faction and the Neutral Faction.
Because the path of legend was too important for everyone, it was fine if only Necro had that information, but Ryan also knew, and this was his trump card. If Necro disagreed, then Ryan could reveal this information to everyone, and Dead Faction would be in huge trouble.
This was also the reason Ryan wanted to capture Captain Free Sword first before anyone could find out; alas, it didn't go his way, and now he has to use another method.
At this moment, Necro finally replied with four tyrannical words, "Fuck off, I refuse!"