Chapter 118: Origin-Sealing Parasite
While Duan Ling Tian and Yang Da were on their way out of Black Armor City, they saw the soldiers of the Black Armor Army parading towards the Lian Clan Estate with a bearing that seemed like a dark cloud bearing down on the city and threatening to overwhelm it!
"Feels like I went a bit too far." Duan Ling Tian galloped his horse forward and rubbed his nose embarrassedly.
Yang Da rolled his eyes at Duan Ling Tian. "Isn't this all your doing, kid."
"If you want to talk about the initiator of all this, it definitely wasn't me, right? I have no grievances with the Black Armor Army nor the Lian Clan, and thus have no reason to entrap them. Wasn't it your Iron Blood Army that asked me to complete this bulls**t mission? Such a hard but thankless job!" Duan Ling Tian grunted.
"Let's go. Since the matter's settled, the Commander will presumably be relieved."
Yang Da's voice had only just finished echoing out when Duan Ling Tian galloped his horse forward, leaving behind a face full of dust for Yang Da.
"This kid!" Yang Da glared before catching up to him.
On the way over, the two of the spurred their horses forward and embarked on a three-month-long journey.
Presently, since the mission was complete, Duan Ling Tian and Yang Da slowed down their speed and leisurely travelled towards the Crimson Sky Kingdom's Iron Blood City.
Along the way, they stayed in the inns of some of the small towns and experienced various local customs and practices.
Only after five months did they arrive at a small town near Iron Blood City.
"We'll rest here for the night, and we'll arrive tomorrow after a day's travel," Yang Da said to Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian nodded as the two of them galloped into the small town.
Every time he entered these small towns, Duan Ling Tian would have the feeling as if he'd returned to Fresh Breeze Town, as these small towns were of similar scale to Fresh Breeze Town...
"Captain, there were a few inns earlier that seemed pretty good." Duan Ling Tian noticed that Yang Da had brought him all the way into the small town and disregarded all the inns on the way.
"We're not staying in an inn tonight." Yang Da smiled.
"Now staying in an inn?" Duan Ling Tian was stunned.
"This is Solitary Goose Town, and is also my hometown." Yang Da's eyes flashed with a trace of warmth.
Duan Ling Tian was slightly surprised.
Just at this moment, a fleet of wagons were like a swimming dragon as the formidable array entered into the town.
These wagons had some cages placed upon them, but there weren't fierce beasts or wild beasts locked inside; they were occupied by humans.
These people were dressed like beggars but were extremely ferocious. They emitted a sense of ruthlessness from between their brows and were obviously not ordinary people.
There were obvious brands on the faces of these people.
"This is..." Duan Ling Tian stopped his horse and looked on.
"These are the slaves the Cai Clan gathered from outside. They usually sell some in the Solitary Goose Town before heading to the County City. The Cai Clan has good relations with the County City's County Governor's Estate," Yang Da slowly said.
Just at this moment.
"Yang Da!" The man at the lead of the fleet of wagons galloped over before stopping his horse in front of Yang Da.
Instantly, the entire fleet of wagons stopped.
"Cai Hai, you actually took charge personally." Yang Da smiled back in a familiar manner.
"Yang Da, you haven't come back for some time. Your cultivation has advanced, right? Once I'm done with sending these slaves over, I'll come to your Yang Clan to visit you, and I cannot do without some sparring with you." Cai Hai laughed.
"Then you have to use your time wisely; I'm leaving tomorrow morning." Yang Da laughed as well.
"Huh?" Suddenly, Duan Ling Tian frowned.
He noticed that a slightly robust figure inside one of the cages was gazing upon the Spatial Ring on his hand.
This was a middle-aged man, and his gaze emitted an uncontrollable agitation...
"He recognized this Spatial Ring?" Duan Ling Tian was dumbfounded.
It was hard for him to imagine how the middle-aged man could have recognized this Spatial Ring, which was the possession of the Young Sect Leader of the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom's Boundless Sect.
"Eh!" Suddenly, Duan Ling Tian clearly saw that there was an obvious black pattern on the middle-aged man's neck.
This pattern... The memories of Rebirth Martial Emperor flashed within Duan Ling Tian's mind.
"Origin-Sealing Parasite!" Duan Ling Tian pupils constricted, as he knew the meaning that this pattern represented.
However, it was logically impossible for a parasitic poison that required such high skill to create to appear in the Crimson Sky Kingdom...
The Origin-Sealing Parasite was a parasitic poison that would seal a person's Origin Energy.
Even a Void Stage powerhouse would be infected by it if caught off guard, and once infected, the entire body's Origin Energy would be sealed, only leaving the victim with a cultivation at the ninth level of the Body Tempering Stage.
"Bound...less....Sect..."
Noticing the unkempt middle-aged man's fierce gaze sweeping towards him, Duan Ling Tian mouthed these two words.
Instantly, the middle-aged man's body trembled and his eyes emitted a sense of excitement.
"He's really from the Boundless Sect!" Duan Ling Tian's heart shook.
"Yang Da, who's this?" Meanwhile, Cai Hai's gaze had descended upon Duan Ling Tian.
"He's Duan Ling Tian. He's a member of this year's Genius Camp. He's already passed the final test and obtained the qualifications to enter Paladin Academy, so he will become a Paladin Academy student soon." Yang Da smiled as he spoke.
Cai Hai was visually moved and an amiable smile appeared on his face. "Brother Ling Tian, I'm Cai Hai."
"How should I address you?" Duan Ling Tian returned a smile but was unaware as to how he should address Cai Hai.
Cai Hai laughed heartily. "Brother Ling Tian, if you don't mind, then call me Big Brother Cai. How about it?"
"Big Brother Cai."
Duan Ling Tian greeted before asking, "Big Brother Cai, where did you get all these slaves you're transporting?"
Cai Hai said, with a smile, "Our merchandise is purchased from other kingdoms; they're mostly war prisoners and wanderers."
Purchased their stock?
Duan Ling Tian felt a sense of grief for these slaves. They were obviously human but were taken as merchandise.
"Big Brother Cai, I've always wanted to buy a slave but didn't have the connections... I wonder if I can buy one from you." Duan Ling Tian probed.
"Brother Ling Tian, you're treating me like a stranger. Not to mention the friendship between me and your Captain as we grew up, we've become friends at our first meeting, and it makes me feel considerably warm. Just take any one of these slaves as a meeting gift from your Big Brother Cai," Cai Hai generously said.
As far as he could see, since Duan Ling Tian had obtained the qualifications to enter Paladin Academy, his extraordinary natural talent was evident from his young age of 17.
Once he graduates from Paladin Academy, his future will certainly be boundless!
He would never have a chance to be on friendly terms with such a person in the future. Now, however, it was precisely the best time to do Duan Ling Tian a favor, and maybe in the future it would grant him an even larger favor.
"Thank you, Big Brother Cai." Duan Ling Tian didn't refuse it and purposely spurred his horse closer to the cages.
The slaves all looked at Duan Ling Tian with cold and indifferent gazes, seeming to wish nothing more than to tear him to shreds...
"I'll take him." Duan Ling Tian eventually pointing towards the middle-aged man that might be from the Boundless Sect.
Cai Hai's brows slightly twitched as he reminded, "Brother Ling Tian, that slave is only at the ninth level of the Body Tempering Stage and is the cheapest among this group of slaves. Why don't you pick another? How about that slave that's at the fifth level of the Core Formation Stage? It's one of the high quality merchandise among this batch of slaves."
"Big Brother Cai, this one is fine. You're giving me a meeting gift; how could I take advantage of you?" Duan Ling Tian smiled.
"Haha... Brother Ling Tian you're straightforward as expected! Once I finish arranging a place for these slaves, I'll bring him over to the Yang Clan." Cai Hai glanced deeply at Duan Ling Tian, as his feeling that this youth wasn't simple grew even deeper.
Cai Hai said his farewells to Yang Da before leaving.
"Duan Ling Tian, is there something special about that slave?" Yang Da looked at Duan Ling Tian with a slightly suspicious expression.
The corners of Duan Ling Tian's mouth twitched, "Captain, what do you think could be special about that slave? Isn't it just a ninth level Body Tempering slave?"
"Haha... I just think it's strange that you would be so 'sensible.'" Yang Da laughed loudly.
"Do I seem like the type of person that covets small gains?" Duan Ling Tian was speechless.
"You don't seem like one..."
"That's more like it."
"You were always one!"
"...."
That night, Duan Ling Tian stayed at the Yang Clan.
Only then did Duan Ling Tian know that the Yang Clan that Yang Da originated from was actually one of the three great clans of Solitary Goose Town.
The Cai Clan which Cai Hai was from was also one of the three great clans of Solitary Goose Town.
Besides this, Duan Ling Tian found out of another matter.
The wife of Swallow Mountain County's County Governor was actually the Cai Clan's Patriarch's elder sister.... And Pei San, whose arm was cut off, was precisely the nephew of the Cai Clan's Patriarch.
Cai Hai, on the other hand, was the Cai Clan's Patriarch's younger brother, and Pei San's uncle.
"One really can't avoid their enemies..." After finding out about all this, Duan Ling Tian couldn't help but sigh.
"If that Pei San knew that not only was his uncle extremely courteous to me but even gifted a slave to me, I wonder what he would feel... he probably would spit blood out of anger." Duan Ling Tian's heart flashed with a wicked thought.
"Young Master Ling Tian, the second master requests your company." Just at this moment, the voice of the servant girl entered the room.
"Looks like Cai Hai's arrived." Duan Ling Tian thought in his heart.
The second master that the servant girl spoke of was precisely the Captain Yang Da who was also the younger brother of the Yang Clan Patriarch.
In the Yang Clan's audience hall, Duan Ling Tian saw Cai Hai once again, and with him was the middle-aged man that Duan Ling Tian chose earlier.
After cleaning up and changing clothes, the middle-aged man seemed refreshed; however, the brand on his face undoubtedly proclaimed his low status as a slave.
"Big Brother Cai." Duan Ling Tian smiled to Cai Hai.
"Brother Ling Tian, you really have a good eye. Although this slave's cultivation is slightly low, his appearance and bearings are quite extraordinary." Cai Hai smiled.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Duan Ling Tian bid his farewell and brought along the middle-aged man as he left.
In a quiet room, Duan Ling Tian and the middle-aged man stood staring at each other.
The middle-aged man's expression was calm without a trace of change as he grabbed Duan Ling Tian's shoulder and asked, in an agitated manner, "Why do you have the Young Sect Master's Spatial Ring? What did you do to him?"
Bang!
Duan Ling Tian's face sank, and his hand moved like a bolt of lightning and knocked the middle-aged man a distance away.
The middle-aged man's face turned grim as he growled, "If it wasn't for me being poisoned, even if a thousand of babies like you were you were to attack me, I would be able to annihilate them with a flip of my palm!"
"Even you yourself said that you're poisoned.... All I know is that you're currently a ninth level Body Tempering piece of trash! So behave yourself!" Duan Ling Tian moved forward two steps and gave the middle-aged man a slap.
"You!" The middle-aged man's face distorted as he moved to attack Duan Ling Tian.
"It seemed you've forgotten that I'm your liege now!" Duan Ling Tian's voice was cold and indifferent as he raised his hand and swung it out like a raging python swinging its tail, blasting the middle-aged man away once again.
Thump!
Duan Ling Tian put his foot on the middle-aged man's chest as he looked down at him and coldly said, "Remember that from today onwards, I'm your liege! Your liege that you're not allowed to disobey!"