Chapter 701: Chapter 488: Taking Down the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps
The Snow Elf fighter Gudong knelt down on both knees, praying.
“Before the gods we admire, worship, and venerate, we offer a heartfelt and exalted prayer.”
“God of Duels, you are the immortal champion, you have countless formidable enemies, yet you are eternally vigorous.”
“In the Divine Country called Anqiu, duelists rest in slumber. When the gods call, they rise again, taking up arms!”
“God of Duels, please hear our prayers, let the spring in our hearts surge, let our strength converge into a mighty torrent.”
“We hope for your benevolent attention to our plight, let a myriad of voices gather into a vast ocean, joining hands in the raging currents. With your supreme and majestic power, protect us, make us exchange agility, let our messages cross the distance, reaching afar.”
“Praise thee, you are the ever-forward-moving champion, you are the sacred brilliance, may you accompany us forever, enabling us to fight with the spirit of duelists, for your faith is filled with glory!”
Gudong closed his eyes tightly, with great devotion.
He was a Holy Fighter of the God of Duels, with a high rank, and this time it was a special prayer, so quickly his spirit was drawn into the Divine Country of Anqiu.
Gudong’s spirit rose continuously, higher and higher, soaring into a vast expanse of heaven and earth.
The sky was white, the earth was gray.
Flakes of snow like goose feathers drifted quietly down.
Gudong’s spirit landed on top of a mountain peak at Snow Peak.
The summit of Snow Peak had been sheared by blades, forming an extremely flat platform.
On the platform, tombstones were scattered in an irregular pattern.
If members of the Saber Gang saw this scene, they would certainly be surprised. These tombstones were arranged in the exact same pattern as those in Anqiu.
Gudong’s spirit did not disperse but instead concentrated into a mass, confined within his own tombstone.
By the time his spirit reached this place, some of the tombstones had already lit up with light.
After waiting a little, nearly twenty tombstones began to emit a faint light.
Each tombstone represented a Golden Holy Fighter. Just like Gudong, they had prayed. At this moment, these Holy Fighters were scattered in various places across the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, but because of similar prayers, they temporarily gained the ability to communicate across distances.
This was no ordinary prayer.
This long-distance communication would consume a great deal of Divine Grace from the Holy Fighters.
Normally, even if they wanted to communicate with one another, they would never do it like this.
But this matter was of grave importance; learning of it through Ice Eagle’s prayer, many sprung into action immediately.
From one of the tombstones that flickered with light came a wave of spiritual fluctuation, with a message tinged with sorrow: “Indeed, Jia Bing has died. Two other Holy Fighters have also perished.”
Gudong knew the owner of this spirit.
Her name was Snow Ball, and she was an Elf Mage.
Snow Ball was not familiar with Lin or the Saber Gang Gang Leader. However, as an Alchemy Mage, she had cooperated with Jia Bing a few times.
Another tombstone lit up, emanating a clear wave of spirit: “Since I became a Holy Fighter, I have never seen so many fall at the same time.”
Gudong knew this person as well.
He was Zhu Gan, an Elf Ranger. Although also an Elf, he was not a Snow Elf native to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom but was a Wood Elf.
Gudong had met him once. Zhu Gan liked to wear a bamboo hat and drape a cape over his shoulders. His favorite pastime was fishing.
“Hmph, you are just uninformed. More than ten years ago at that Dueling Festival, didn’t several Holy Fighters also die?” A rough spiritual wave came through.
This was Holy Fighter Devil Muscle.
Another Holy Fighter by the name of Bao Ligen had a different opinion: “The two situations are not the same. To die at the Dueling Festival, for a Holy Fighter of the God of Duels, is an honorable death.”
“But this time, Jia Bing, Lin, and the Saber Gang Gang Leader did not die in a valiant duel. The three of them joined forces to ambush the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, but instead were ambushed themselves.”
Devil Muscle scoffed: “Hmph, those three were worthless!”
An opposing spiritual fluctuation came from Mei Lin: “It’s not like that. I am very familiar with the strength of Jia Bing, Lin, and the Saber Gang Gang Leader. They all served in the regular military. This time the three of them joined forces, yet all were defeated, which only suggests that the enemy was extremely powerful. Or perhaps, they had extraordinary means.”
Mei Lin was part of the First Navy of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. She herself was a mermaid, practicing only magic, a Mage at the peak of the Golden Level. Her strength was formidable, able to easily cast battlefield-level spells.
All of the Transcendents who followed the God of Duels had a strong pursuit of combat ability.
Therefore, among these people, the stronger the individual, the more respect they commanded.
When Mei Lin spoke, everyone listened quietly.
After she finished speaking, the field sank into a moment of silence.
“Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps…” Snow Ball murmured, breaking the silence.
“Can someone tell me about this Mercenary Group?…” Zhu Gan inquired, as he was unaware of them.
Most people were in fact unaware.
“These are the intelligence reports I have gathered regarding the matter,” Mei Lin conveyed the relevant information to those present.
Because everyone was communicating telepathically, a large volume of information was shared instantly.
The intelligence provided by Mei Lin was quite detailed, her high position and considerable intelligence gathering abilities far surpassed the Lone Ranger. Prior to this, she had even made special contact with Ice Eagle and obtained many pieces of information from him.
Many people understood the backstory and aftermath of the event in an instant.
Devil Muscle sneered, “The Gang Leader of the Axe Gang and Teng Donglang were closely connected. In an underhanded attempt at vengeance, he went as far as to involve two other Golden Level Holy Fighters. With three Golden Level combat forces combined, not only did he fail to exact his revenge, but he also lost his own life and even dragged the other two down with him. This is truly laughable!”
Mei Lin did not respond to Devil Muscle’s words, her tone calm, betraying a sense of coolness, “The surface highest combat power of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is their squad leader Long Fu. This person, with Silver Level cultivation, publicly executed Golden Level Teng Donglang in Snowbird Port’s dueling field. Clearly, this is not the true upper limit of these people’s strength.”
“Looking at the detailed situation of the on-site investigation, Long Fu and the Axe Gang Gang Leader along with the other two experienced a battle. There was no scorching, and the battlefield was almost unharmed. This suggests that the battle didn’t last long, perhaps even quite brief. And from beginning to end, Long Fu had an overwhelming advantage.”
Mei Lin did not know that the one who actually killed the Axe Gang Gang Leader and the other two was Zong Ge. The so-called “Long Fu squad leader” was actually Zong Ge in disguise.
Mei Lin’s analysis once again quieted the atmosphere.
Those recognized by the God of Duels and become Holy Fighters were all people with considerable combat strength and extensive combat experience.
Although none of them commented on Mei Lin’s analysis, none disagreed deep down.
This caused, in everyone’s heart, the displayed combat strength of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps to appear terrifyingly strong!
Gudong remarked, “I think, among all of us Golden Holy Fighters, apart from Lord Long Meng, no one else could possibly possess such strength to swiftly eliminate three of the same level.”
No one spoke, and silence fell over the area once again.
After a short while, Zhu Gan broke the stillness, “I’ve been to Ice Spear City before, and even fished with Lin.”
“Sigh, I did not expect that when I heard about him again, it would be the news of his death.”
“Now, how should we deal with this group from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?”
Just as Zhu Gan’s voice faded, an irate mental wave surged, “Retaliation! We must retaliate fiercely and wipe them out.”
“On the surface, this group is a Mercenary Corps, but in reality, they’re a bunch of arms smugglers.”
“But their true nature is even more despicable! They are enemies of the Kingdom, sent here by hostile foreign powers.”
“We must eradicate them immediately to send a strong deterrent against those ambitious hostile forces abroad.”
The speaker was Bao Ligen.
Snow Ball inquired with doubt, “How can you be so sure that they are the sworn enemies of the Kingdom?”
Bao Ligen snorted coldly, “Do I even need to say it? Just look at what they’ve done, it’s pretty obvious. How long have these people been in the Kingdom? They’ve already killed four of our people. Four Golden Level fighters! Teng Donglang, the Axe Gang Gang Leader, these aren’t your average Golden Level fighters. Each of their combat capabilities is upper tier for their level.”
“They really are too arrogant. They’re just a group of foreigners who came to our land, our country, and so boldly killed our people.”
“We must return the favor, repaying it a thousand, a hundredfold. Wipe them all out!”
“If three Golden Level fighters aren’t enough, then gather more Golden Level fighters. I refuse to believe they can’t be eliminated.”
Bao Ligen roared angrily, his rage and killing intent evident.
Although he is not notable in the outside world, he’s well known among the circle of Holy Fighters of the God of Duels.
He still serves in the regular army of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
However, he is not an exemplary soldier, frequently violating military disciplines, spending years in solitary confinement.
Nonetheless, this doesn’t affect his camaraderie with his military brothers.
Even though he wasn’t familiar with Teng Donglang and the Axe Gang Gang Leader, they were once all members of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s regular army. This connection always ensured Bao Ligen’s recognition of Teng Donglang, the Axe Gang Gang Leader, and others.
Gudong also had a background similar to Bao Ligen.
Except, he had already retired from the army the year before last.
Gudong understood Bao Ligen’s anger very well but did not agree with Bao Ligen’s plan of action.
“Acting this way is far too reckless.”
However, Gudong wasn’t surprised by Bao Ligen’s remarks. In his memory, Bao Ligen was that kind of person, full of rage, impulsive, an uncouth and brash strongman of the military.