Chapter 377: The Ultimate Weapon?
Chapter 377: The Ultimate Weapon? (End of Chapter)
"This compass?" Lin Yuan's expression turned slightly astonished.
Within the two-dimensional world, any extraordinary power would be subjected to dimension reduction, leaving only the pure physical body. Yet, this bronze compass emitted a mysterious aura that intrigued Lin Yuan.
This subtle aura, seemingly surpassing the suppression of the two-dimensional world, caused Lin Yuan to feel a sense of gravity. Thus far, no life form or treasure had been able to withstand the suppression of dimension reduction, except for...
The ultimate existence.
"How do I use it?" Lin Yuan's sharp eyes noticed the residual blood on the bronze compass. "Is it used with blood?" he wondered.
"I'll figure it out when I get back," Lin Yuan thought as he carefully kept the compass. He thoroughly inspected the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits, ensuring he hadn't missed anything, before leaving with their vital organs.
To claim the bounty on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits, one had to provide proof of their demise. And the proof accepted by the authorities was usually the presentation of the bandits' vital organs.
While Lin Yuan had gained significantly from the encounter with the bandits, he hadn't forgotten about the bounty on their heads. After all, it was a reward he didn't have to work hard for, so he wasn't going to let it go to waste.
East Origin City. Blood Rain Tavern.
The hunchbacked elder was dozing off. As a Wu Emperor-level expert from the ancient country of Blood Rain, he had taken up the position of the tavern master in East Origin City to avoid being wooed by various forces.
Although East Origin City was a large city, it was far from the country's capital and the hub of power struggles. Here, the elder could find some peace and quiet, and he had even considered spending his retirement days in this place. Given his advanced age and declining vitality, he was no longer suited to compete with those Wu Emperors in their prime.
"Due to the presence of the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits in the vicinity, a large number of powerful experts from the ancient country have quietly gathered around this area." The hunchbacked elder shook his head, feeling helpless.
The bounty on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits alone amounted to 60 million Wu Jing. Coupled with their existing wealth and accumulated treasures, it was enough to make even Wu Emperor-level peak experts extremely envious.
However, Wu Emperor-level peak experts were few and far between. Most of those who came to hunt down the bandits were teams comprised of numerous powerful experts.
"Hmm?" The hunchbacked elder turned his gaze and noticed the young man who had just entered the tavern once again.
The elder had a deep impression of Lin Yuan for three reasons. First, Lin Yuan dared to take on the bounty of the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits by himself. Second, Lin Yuan was not any expert the elder had known before. And third, the time between Lin Yuan's departure and return was incredibly short—less than a day.
In a private room within the tavern, Lin Yuan sat across from the hunchbacked elder. "So, have you decided to give up on the bounty task?" The elder asked without a hint of mockery in his tone.
The Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits were incredibly powerful and had numerous trump cards up their sleeves. Even in his prime, the hunchbacked elder wasn't confident of defeating them, let alone someone as young as Lin Yuan. The elder speculated that Lin Yuan must be a disciple of some major family, who had taken on the bounty on a whim. But after a day of searching, he had realized that he couldn't even find the bandits' traces, so he had returned to the tavern to give up the task.
"No, I'm here to claim the bounty," Lin Yuan said.
"To claim the bounty?" The hunchbacked elder looked at Lin Yuan, momentarily stunned.
To claim the bounty on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits?
"These are their skulls," Lin Yuan said as he opened the bag he was carrying, letting the eighteen skulls roll out.
The 'proof' required to prove the elimination of the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits had to be decisive. Ordinary organs wouldn't suffice. Only vital organs like the skull would be accepted as proof by the Blood Rain Tavern.
Before taking on the bounty, Lin Yuan had naturally figured out all the details, so there wouldn't be any disputes at this point. As for how to confirm that these skulls belonged to the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits, the Blood Rain Tavern certainly had its methods.
"Skulls?" The hunchbacked elder's expression turned solemn.
Although he couldn't confirm at the moment if these eighteen skulls belonged to the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits, his sharp eyes could tell that these skulls came from experts close to the Wu Emperor level.
There was a significant difference in the degree of fleshly body tempering between Wu Kings, Wu Emperors, and even Wu Emperors. This, in turn, affected the hardness and texture of their bones, which could be discerned by anyone with sufficient experience.
"Please wait a moment," the hunchbacked elder said, his tone turning respectful.
He quickly summoned his subordinates and had them take the eighteen skulls away.
Moments later, the hunchbacked elder hurried back into the room and said respectfully, "Sir, the skulls have been verified to belong to the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits."
"Mhm," Lin Yuan nodded.
Indeed, the Blood Rain Tavern was quite trustworthy.
Lin Yuan had chosen to take on the bounty at the Blood Rain Tavern precisely because of their 'leniency'. Anyone could post or accept bounty tasks at the Blood Rain Tavern without having to reveal their identity.
Although the Blood Rain Tavern originated from the ancient country of Blood Rain, over the long years, it had become independent and served all Wu-level or higher experts from the twelve ancient countries.
"This is Blood Rain Tea, a delicacy that only the royal family of Blood Rain Ancient Country can enjoy." The hunchbacked elder waved his hand, and a servant promptly brought in a cup of tea.
The tea was a bloody red color, and Lin Yuan had no intention of drinking it at first. But when he glanced at it, he noticed a mysterious aura flowing within the tea.
"This tea..." Lin Yuan's eyebrows twitched.
The mysterious fluctuations within the tea were almost reminiscent of the bronze compass, but far less intense and mysterious. If he hadn't just seen the compass, he would have only found the tea peculiar and wouldn't have thought about it in the context of breaking free from the dimension reduction of the two-dimensional world.
The fact that Lin Yuan could kill the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits so easily meant that even if he wasn't a Wu Emperor-level expert, he was probably not far from it. Even in the capital, where powerful experts abound, Lin Yuan's strength would strike fear into many.
"The Blood Rain Tea comes from the Blood Rain Tea Tree, a heritage item of the Blood Rain Ancient Country. It has existed since the country's inception."
"The Blood Rain Tea gradually improves one's physique, and prolonged consumption can also benefit one's cultivation."
Assuming Lin Yuan was interested in the tea, the hunchbacked elder eagerly introduced its effects.
"The Blood Rain Tea Tree?"
Lin Yuan memorized the name. Even the 'tea leaves' exuded a mysterious aura, so he surmised that the source, the Blood Rain Tea Tree, was likely similar to the bronze compass—an extraordinary item capable of defying the dimensional suppression of the two-dimensional world.
"Here's the reward of sixty million Wu Jing."
The hunchbacked elder promptly took out a Wu Jing ticket from the Twelve Countries Bank, which could be used universally.
"We're square." Lin Yuan nodded and put away the Wu Jing ticket.
"Would you be interested in joining our Blood Rain Tavern? With your strength, you would become an A-level member, enjoying priority in accepting bounties and a higher commission on rewards."
The hunchbacked elder immediately made his offer.
The Blood Rain Tavern could publish any bounty and collect a commission on the rewards, which helped maintain the tavern's daily operations.
For example, with the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits, the posted bounty was sixty million, but the tavern had actually taken at least twenty million Wu Jing as their cut.
In other words, if Lin Yuan joined the Blood Rain Tavern, he would have received a reward of eighty million Wu Jing.
"I'll consider it." Lin Yuan had no intention of joining the tavern, but he didn't outright refuse either.
The hunchbacked elder saw Lin Yuan out.
Only after Lin Yuan's figure disappeared did the elder return and sit down again.
At that moment, a gray-haired man appeared beside the hunchbacked elder.
"Tavern Master." The gray-haired man exclaimed, "Has the bounty on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits been claimed?"
"Yes." The hunchbacked elder nodded.
"Who was it that killed them?"
The gray-haired man was curious.
The Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits were cunning and elusive. In the past, there had been cases where Wu Emperor-level experts pursued them, but often, by the time these experts arrived, the bandits had already fled.
To outsiders, the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits seemed to possess an almost uncanny instinct, always choosing the right path to escape before danger struck.
"I'm not sure." The hunchbacked elder shook his head.
"You don't know?" The gray-haired man was even more astonished.
How could someone so powerful be unknown even to the well-informed hunchbacked elder?
"In such a vast world, it's not unusual for me to be unaware of some people." The hunchbacked elder glanced at the gray-haired man and, after a moment's thought, continued, "I suspect it was a powerful expert from outside the Blood Rain Ancient Country."
The hunchbacked elder considered himself well-informed about the Blood Rain Ancient Country, but he knew nothing about Lin Yuan, so the only possibility was that Lin Yuan was from elsewhere.
The bounty on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits was open to experts from not just the Blood Rain Ancient Country but also the other ancient countries, making the pool of potential claimants quite large.
"Alright."
"Let's end this matter here."
"Don't mention that powerful expert again." The hunchbacked elder stood up and said, "Also, remove the bounty on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits."
Now that the bandits were dead, there was no need to keep the bounty active.
"Yes."
The gray-haired man was startled but immediately replied respectfully.
A few days later.
Deep within the Primeval Mystery Forest.
In the valley where the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits had once stayed.
More than ten figures appeared.
"According to the intelligence, the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits should have briefly stopped here." A man with sharp eyes said in a low voice.
They were bounty hunters roaming the twelve ancient countries, specializing in hunting down targets with hefty rewards.
Recently, they had set their sights on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits, attracted by the sixty million bounty and the news that the bandits had plundered a treasure vault belonging to the Northern Town Prince.
Such a massive fortune was enough to incite their pursuit.
"There was a battle here."
At that moment, a chubby man among them carefully observed the surroundings before suddenly speaking up.
"A battle?"
The others were slightly taken aback.
Could it be that someone had beaten them to it?
"Not a battle, a massacre."
The chubby man corrected himself.
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, their faces filled with confusion.
There was only a fine line between 'battle' and 'massacre', but the implications were vastly different.
And.
Who massacred whom?
"Most of the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits should be dead."
The chubby man continued to examine the subtle traces left at the scene and finally concluded, "One of the eighteen escaped in that direction, but the other seventeen are dead."
"Only one person made the move."
The chubby man's tone was calm.
But the cruelty and terror that seeped through his words were palpable.
The others imagined a horrifying scene playing out in their minds—a powerful expert suddenly appearing outside this valley, causing the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits to perish one by one. Even if they desperately resisted, they couldn't escape their fate.
In the end, as this expert was busy massacring seventeen of the bandits, the eighteenth member took the opportunity to escape in that direction.
The chubby man looked in that direction and immediately followed.
Soon after.
In front of an ancient tree, the chubby man stopped.
"The one who escaped is also dead." The chubby man emerged from the shadows.
Hearing this, a chill ran down the spines of the others.
Even they, who had intended to hunt down the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits, never thought about wiping out all eighteen of them.
If those eighteen people scattered and fled, how could they all be captured? Moreover, according to the information they had obtained, the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits possessed an astonishing instinct, often escaping before the powerful experts chasing them even arrived.
"Are they really dead?"
Just then, the man leading the group spoke up.
This man had black skin and stood there like a towering mountain, his eyes cold and calm.
"Based on the traces left behind, it seems that all the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits are dead," said the chubby man.
"Can you tell who the attacker was and their background?" the leader asked, following up.
"No, I can't," replied the chubby man.
"The Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits died too quickly; they didn't even have time to struggle," he added.
If there had been a struggle, they might have been able to identify the attacker by the traces of the fight. But without any resistance, it was challenging to deduce the attacker's identity, especially since the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits had been slaughtered so swiftly, one after the other.
Just then, a slender figure rushed towards them.
"The Blood Rain Tavern has removed the bounty on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits," the slender figure announced.
The Blood Rain Tavern had taken down the bounty several days ago, but news traveled slowly, and this group had only just received the information.
"It looks like the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits are truly dead," the leader nodded in confirmation.
The Blood Rain Tavern would only remove the bounty if they were absolutely certain that all the bandits were deceased.
"What a pity," one of the group members sighed.
"We traveled across six or seven ancient countries, only to return empty-handed?" another added, sounding unsure if they should feel disappointed or relieved.
Although it was frustrating to have their target claimed by another strong expert, seeing the traces of the massacre, they felt a sense of relief that they hadn't faced that mysterious powerhouse.
They had no confidence that they could have withstood such an opponent.
Unlike the others, the leader, the black-skinned man, fell into deep thought.
"The expert who could kill the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits so easily must be at least a Wu Emperor," he mused.
"But why are there so many Wu Emperors lately?" he wondered aloud. "In the past twenty years or so, the number of Wu Emperors has increased significantly. In the past, it would take hundreds or even thousands of years to produce a single Wu Emperor."
As he traveled through the twelve ancient countries, he had noticed this unusual trend. Especially in the capitals of these countries, previously unknown Wu Emperors would suddenly appear, as if they were a common occurrence.
If not for the ancient heritage left by the Wu Ancestors, the current twelve ancient countries would have likely undergone a power shift.
In the depths of Luochuan Gathering Place, within a secluded cave...
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, deep in reflection.
"This operation should have been flawless," he thought, reviewing his actions from accepting the bounty at the Blood Rain Tavern to killing the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits. He had been careful not to leave any traces that could expose his identity.
The Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits had a hefty bounty on their heads, attracting the attention of most bounty hunters in the twelve ancient countries. By taking action at this time, Lin Yuan knew he would be considered just another strong expert from one of the twelve ancient countries.
This broadened the scope of suspicion considerably.
The only potential oversight was when he had asked Charan Valley to investigate the bandits' whereabouts.
Not that he thought Charan Valley would betray him.
Lin Yuan had tamed Charan Valley, leaving a strand of his blood essence in his brain. With a mere thought, Lin Yuan could explode that essence, killing Charan Valley instantly. Betrayal was not an option.
However, Charan Valley's investigation into the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits' activities could be a potential loose end.
Lin Yuan reconsidered and decided that it wasn't much of a concern after all.
As the public face of the Luochuan Gathering Place, it was natural for Charan Valley to show interest and investigate the bandits' traces when they learned they were lurking in the nearby area.
After much contemplation, Lin Yuan's right hand flipped, and a teacup appeared before him.
The cup was crafted from expensive jade, its value equivalent to a Wu Jing.
But Lin Yuan's attention wasn't on the cup itself; it was on the blood-red tea within.
"Blood Rain Tea?" Lin Yuan examined the tea closely.
Back at the Blood Rain Tavern, he hadn't dared to drink the tea, fearing some hidden scheme.
Although the possibility was low, the Blood Rain Tavern had a well-known reputation. If they had secretly tampered with the tea just because he accepted the bounty on the Cloud Mountain Eighteen Bandits, it would be inconsistent with their established image.
"There doesn't seem to be any poison in it," Lin Yuan concluded after several tests, and he cautiously sipped a small amount.
The icy tea flowed down his throat and into his limbs and bones. Lin Yuan remained vigilant, ready to expel the tea from his body at the first sign of any anomaly.
"It does seem to have a slight beneficial effect on the physical body," Lin Yuan acknowledged with a slight nod.
Given his current powerful physical state, the tea's benefits were minimal. However, if a Wu King-level expert had drunk the Blood Rain Tea, the improvement in their physique would likely have been significant.
"Blood Rain Tea..." Lin Yuan's thoughts turned, and he took out the bronze compass.
"Even in the face of dimensional suppression in the two-dimensional world, it still emits a noticeable mysterious aura," he observed.
Lin Yuan's thoughts raced as a suspicion formed in his mind.
Even the most powerful eleventh-tier life forms couldn't exhibit any extraordinary powers in this two-dimensional world.
Yet, this bronze compass defied those rules.
In other words...
This bronze compass...
Was likely an ultimate weapon.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
