Chapter 147: Another Long Journey

The bloody light reappeared as jet-black characters crisscrossed the space, and the blood-red stele rose once more.

Although nobody knew what had happened, everyone understood that Ryan had acquired immense and mysterious power. His future achievements would likely be no less than those of long-renowned grand masters.

"Whoosh!" Right at that moment, a sudden change occurred. A silver torrent abruptly rushed toward Ryan, striking the stele before the crowd could even recover their senses.

"Crack-zzt!"

Blue electric arcs rapidly followed in its wake, exploding with a "bang" just outside the hovering stele. The crimson glow enshrouding Ryan grew slightly dim, but it immediately flared up again, becoming even more intense.

A dark figure among the crowd struck and instantly retreated.

"Who's there?!"

Qianlong was the first to react. Forming hand seals with both hands, he summoned a water dragon that surged over the heads of the crowd, but the dark figure was extremely fast, vanishing into the throng in the blink of an eye.

With a cold snort, Qianlong stepped onto the surging waves and gave chase.

Ryan also shattered the lightning with a single sweep of his spear, but instantly, lightning surged beneath his feet, and bolts of blue current crackled around him.

"Damn it, what is happening again?"

"Someone's launching a sneak attack! Ah—"

Before the speaker could finish, his back was pierced by a sharp blade. A bamboo-hatted man in black abruptly withdrew his weapon and charged at someone else, while more men in black rapidly wove hand seals. The combined lightning formed by the power of dozens of individuals poured violently toward Ryan.

"Let's go!"

The crowd instantly plunged into chaos. Tunguska took the opportunity to slip away and retreat. The others had been panicked at first, but they soon spotted the God-Hunting clan members, who were weaving hand seals to attack Ryan together while simultaneously searching for an escape route.

Soon, muffled groans and miserable screams rang out. Having absorbed the power of the blood-red stele, Ryan was completely unaffected by the lightning. Qi surged from within him like a tidal wave, and a crimson hue instantly engulfed the entire area within a radius of ten meters.

"Crimson qi..."

"Even his qi has changed. What on earth happened to him?"

"Boom!"

A God-Hunting clan member was swept by Ryan's qi, erupting into dual mists of blood before collapsing to the ground.

On the other side, Alisa was also ruthlessly reaping the lives of the God-Hunting clan. Her methods were far more cruel than Ryan's; even the ferocious God-Hunting clan members felt a deep terror toward her, and soon only corpses remained upon the ground.

Ryan glanced over the devastated and littered ground. The crimson light fading from his exterior, the jet-black characters retreated back into his body, and the blood-red stele vanished into thin air.

"Let's head back."

He slung the Clifford heavy spear across his back. God-Hunting clan members of this caliber posed no threat to him whatsoever...

***

To the east, two figures walked slowly across a patchwork of yellowish-brown terrain. One was slender and pale-faced, with a blood-eyed raven perched on his shoulder.

The youth behind him had a sickly greenish complexion, and his right sleeve hung completely empty.

"Sigray, what on earth is that brat's background?" Tunguska asked reluctantly. He had always fancied himself a genius and loathed having to ask others for answers.

Sigray chuckled darkly. "Oh, are you asking me?"

Tunguska let out a cold snort. "Isn't that obvious? Is there anyone else here I could ask besides you?"

"You don't sound at all like someone inquiring with a humble and open mind." Sigray walked with his hands clasped behind his back, resembling a ghost drifting across the sandy earth.

Tunguska felt a secret surge of annoyance; this fellow was truly a handful. Just as he was about to adopt a more humble tone to ask again, he heard the other man chuckle lowly once more.

"However, I never lower myself to the level of young people. I'll tell you the truth—I don't know his background either."

Tunguska clenched his fists, wishing he could punch the man right in the face.

"However, I do know a thing or two about the origins of those four steles. Back in ancient times, before the Gods, before the World Tree had even taken root, and when giants roamed the continent, those steles already existed. Some say they are connected to the distant Moon Clan..."

***

Unsurprisingly, the area in front of the Minotaur encampment was also a scene of utter devastation.

When Ryan returned, the curly-haired, miniature lion-dog Dzar was using a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands.

"They came looking for trouble, so I casually took care of them," he shrugged, speaking as if he had just slaughtered chickens rather than members of the God-Hunting clan.

A quarter of an hour later, Qianlong also returned empty-handed.

"It was that old geezer Grem. I couldn't keep him here," he said with a helpless sigh.

Ryan nodded. "I figured that bunch of God-Hunting clan members wouldn't give up so easily. Let them be."

With even Ivan dead, he didn't care about the remaining fraction of the God-Hunting clan. With the Blood Lion and the little lion-dog holding down the fort, nothing could go wrong here.

"Our plan remains unchanged. Tomorrow, we leave the Yiboxie Badlands and head toward Constantinople. Everyone, prepare yourselves."

News of Ryan's impending departure quickly swept through the Yiboxie Badlands.

Ever since Ryan had arrived in the badlands, his name had never been far from the spotlight. Coupled with the events of the previous night, the people held him in even greater awe and reverence.

Naturally, people felt mixed emotions about his distant journey; some rejoiced while others mourned.

Both the Dwarves and the Elves sent gifts to bid him farewell. Dodo personally brought him a large crate of vital energy stones and built a luxurious carriage for him.

Cecil, the Elven King, sent yet another wagon laden with gold coins and jewels.

Ryan accepted them one by one and expressed his gratitude. He kept the vital energy stones and the carriage, but transferred all the gold and jewels to Mengqi, sending them to the Minotaur's treasury to be used as funds for constructing the temple.

Besides them, Delis and Alisa also arrived.

"Ryan, I didn't bring a gift, but I brought this." Delis pulled a letter from her leather pouch, waved it before his eyes, and said, "This is my letter of recommendation. It's valid across the entire continent!"

Ryan accepted the envelope and offered his thanks. Looking back, he spotted a jubilant Freya in the crowd, walked over to take her small hand, and led her to the front of the gathering.

"My friends, thank you all for your immense kindness. Ryan has been truly glad to make acquaintances like you. No feast lasts forever; today, we must part ways. I will forever keep your kind sentiments locked in my heart, and when I return one day, we shall reminisce together once more."

With that, he delivered a respectful bow.

Freya, wearing a ribbon in her hair, clumsily imitated him and bowed as well, drawing hearty laughter from the crowd.

Two carriages, one trailing the other, departed from the Minotaur encampment and headed north. For a long time, the Dwarves and Elves continued to wave farewell to Ryan and his companions.

The people behind gradually shrank in size, and the scenery vanished one by one behind the carriage. Only then did Ryan lower the curtain and turn to Lois, who had removed her sunglasses. "They always say the Torrent City is the most inclusive and prosperous zone among the six white zones, while the Yiboxie Badlands are a gray zone full of danger and poverty. Yet, I find myself feeling much more attached to the badlands."

Lois smiled. "The more prosperous a place is, the more decadent it becomes. The poorer a place is, the simpler and more genuine people's emotions are. Ryan, the Yiboxie Badlands are the place that truly suits you."

Ryan nodded noncommittally. Glancing sideways, he took off his outer coat and draped it over the soundly sleeping Freya.

It was yet another long journey, but this time, she slept with unprecedented peace of mind.