Book 16, Starmist Sea – Chapter 8, Blackstone Prison

Although Bates had asked the question, he himself was quite confident. He understand very well the habit of these bandits: Abuse the soft targets, fear the hard ones!

Even though the bandits might be able to kill all their targets, they would consider the cost-benefit ratio and if it was worth it! Right now, in Linley’s group, Bates was too powerful. Even Linley, Bebe, and Olivier could easily kill Gods. They were clearly a tough bone to gnaw.

To kill Bates and the others, the bandits would definitely lose quite a bit.

“It’ll definitely be fine. The bandit leader won’t be so foolish.” The God-level Fiend with green-hair, Tam [Tai’mu], had a rare smile appear on his face.

“We’ll definitely live.” A nearby short, muscular man also said in a low voice.

Aches’ eyes were filled with hope as well.

“If we can avoid battle, that would be best.” Linley said to himself. However, he didn’t dare to relax, continuing to stare vigilantly at the nearby bandits. Currently, Linley’s side had fourteen lucky survivors, all of whom were waiting for the reply from the enemy leader, Dimon.

The bandit forces were awaiting Dimon’s response as well.

“Second leader? Kill them or no?” The Highgod behind Dimon asked softly.

The bandits were somewhat unwilling to give up. The other side only had a few people, while they had thousands, thirty plus Highgods, and their powerful second leader. The enemy had killed nearly three hundred of the Gods. Were they to be allowed to leave, just like that? The bandits weren’t willing!

Dimon narrowed his eyes, staring at the distant Bates, and then glanced sideways at Olivier. “A Soul Mutate...”

Dimon was calculating while glancing at Bates. “This Highgod expert is clearly one who trains in the Laws of Darkness and specializes in speed as well as hiding his aura.” Dimon was very surprised as well, because he hadn’t discovered Bates had been hiding his power at first.

“The profound mysteries he is training in should focus in subterfuge and speed. His attack power should probably be somewhat lacking.” Dimon said to himself.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

If the opponent was very powerful, there was no need for Bates to negotiate with him at all.

Thousands of people surrounded those ten-plus. All was silent. Everyone was waiting for Dimon’s decision. Then, very suddenly...

“Kill!!!” Dimon suddenly howled angrily.

The looks on the faces of Aches, Tam, and the other Gods immediately froze. Even Bates’ face changed.

“Attacking?” Linley frowned.

Dimon’s eyes were gleaming red, and he bellowed, “Brothers, all of you, charge together. Kill, kill them!”

“Kill!” First came the group of Highgods behind Dimon. At their fastest speed, they charged forward. Instantly, as waves bellowed, elemental behemoths appeared out of nowhere, and the Highgods either charged forward astride the heads of elemental pythons or were hidden beneath the foggy waves.

The combined attacks of over thirty Highgods...the aura alone made Linley feel it was hard to breath.

In unison, those thirty plus Highgod brandished their weapons, blasting out soul attacks. All sorts of half-translucent flashes of light shot out towards Linley’s group.

“Terrible!” Linley’s face changed dramatically.

These thirty-plus Highgods were less than a hundred meters away from Linley’s group. A soul attack moved much faster than a person. Everyone was only able to move very slightly. The combined soul attacks of these three Highgods were aimed at three people...

Bates, Boff, and Delia!

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”

“Careful!” In that dangerous moment, Linley, by Delia’s side, suddenly pulled her aside while also trying to move away.

“Bang!” “Bang!”

Even though he dodged as best as he could, six soul attacks still slammed onto Linley.

Thirty or so Highgods attacking three people. Ten soul attacks were aimed at Delia and Boff, while ten more were aimed at Bates. Linley dodged as best as he could, but six Highgod soul attacks still struck him!

“Bang!”

The six soul attacks directly entered Linley’s consciousness, smashing heavily against his soul-protecting Sovereign artifact. Like eggs smashing onto a rock, they shattered upon collision. These Highgods were all fairly weak Highgods, and so their soul attacks were quite rudimentary.

Only now did Linley breathe a sigh of relief.

“Linley.” Delia couldn’t help stare unblinkingly at Linley in worry.

“I’m fine.” Linley revealed a smile.

The six hundred years of training he had spent in the Amethyst Mountains, especially his absorption of so many amethysts and their soul essences, caused his soul-protecting Sovereign artifact’s flaw to rapidly heal. After six hundred years, the flaw had already a thin membrane appear.

Although it wasn’t as strong as the other parts of the soul-protecting Sovereign artifact, its defense was still excellent.

Linley wasn’t too bad off, but Boff and Bates were in trouble.

The bald youth, Boff, was also struck by several soul attacks. He directly crashed down from the skies, while at the same time, another Boff dressed in a black robe flew out. It was Boff’s divine God clone.

“Swish!” Bates was extremely fast.

Facing those ten soul attacks, he actually dodged the majority and was only struck by two. These two soul attacks caused Bates’ face to turn ashen. He didn’t have a soul-protecting divine artifact.

After all, even someone as mighty as a Seven Star Fiend wouldn’t have a soul much stronger than that of most ordinary Highgods. At most, their defense would be a bit stronger. If they took too many soul attacks head on, they would definitely be finished.

The big-bearded Bates glanced sideways at Linley. “This Linley...he really is hiding his power. He was hit by multiple soul attacks but he is fine. He really lives up to the name of being a descendant of the Four Divine Beasts clan.” Bates, having seen Linley’s Dragonform, had already guessed Linley’s status.

“Big brother!”

Nearby, a desolate cry.

Linley turned. It was one of the God-level Fiends who had come with them. That skinny, tall, silver-haired man, Wilburn [Wei’er’bo’en], was crying out in grief, his tears already flowing down.

What had happened was that although Bates had dodged the majority of the soul attacks, one of them had struck upon the unfortunate elder brother of Wilburn. How could Wilburn’s brother possibly withstand the soul attack of a Highgod?

What’s more, Wilburns’ older brother had fused with a divine spark to become a God. He immediately died.

“Wilburn should have a close relationship with him.” Linley saw how heartbroken Wilburn was, and he said to himself. At this moment, nobody went to console Wilburn. Linley immediately focused his attention on those Highgods.

“Haha, I didn’t expect you to have some ability.” Those Highgods laughed loudly.

“Brothers, let’s do it again.”

These thirty-plus Highgods all liked to engage in combo attacks.

“Linley, if you still refuse to act, then I’m going to stop bothering about this and leave.” A voice rang out in Linley’s mind. Linley could immediately tell that the person who sent the message was that big-bearded Bates. “Linley, I didn’t expect you to be a Highgod as well who was hiding his power. Even I didn’t see through you.”

Linley was stunned.

He was a Highgod? How come he didn’t know?

“A venerable core disciple of the Four Divine Beasts clan. I recognized you as soon as you transformed. You are going to keep hiding your strength? I, Bates, am not skilled at other things, but I’m highly talented in fleeing for my life. I’m not able to deal with thirty-six Highgods, especially that leader. If you don’t make your move, I’m leaving. I’m not the sort to sacrifice his life for others!” Bates sent through divine message.

Bates valued his own life quite highly.

“Haha, kill them!” From afar, Dimon shouted in joy.

“Got it, second leader.”

The thirty-plus Highgods were fully confident, once more waving their weapons.

“Linley!” Bates once more sent his divine sense over.

“Time to prepare for a slaughter.” Linley sent back to Bates. At the same time, within Linley’s sea of consciousness, beneath his rainbow-colored soul, with that black stone at the center, a large amount of spiritual energy began to spread out. At the same time, a large amount of elemental essence began to condense.

Linley stared calmly at the thirty-plus Highgods, their weapons raised.

Strangely, powerful surges of earth-style divine power rippled out like the waves of the sea, spreading out to a range of two hundred meters. The curvature of the ripples was identical to the changing curvatures of those 108 rays of spiritual energy of the black stone.

Within a range of two hundred meters.

Those thirty-six Highgods suddenly found that suddenly, a tremendously powerful gravitational force was affecting them. This enormous gravitational force instantly caused them to be unable to continue to fly, and they began to sink downwards!

“Ahhh!” The thirty-six Highgods began to cry out in alarm.

“Whooooosh.”

The countless amounts of earth elemental essence had already completely solidified. A completely black, totally sealed prison had formed, with everyone within two hundred meters being caught within the black prison. Those thirty-six Highgods were naturally trapped within as well.

Blackstone Prison! The thousands of Gods outside were all stupefied and stared slack-jawed.

But within the Blackstone Prison...

“What...what is this place?” The thirty-six Highgods all stared in astonishment at the surroundings. They were surrounded by dark walls, with corridors and rooms present. They could already tell that they were in a different place, and they could sense the powerful gravity.

The gravity was simply too extravagant.

Even Highgods were unable to fly.

“Crunch!” A black shadow flashed past, and a Highgod collapsed.

“Haha, this is excellent.” Bates was incomparably excited. Linley’s side was all surrounded by earth-style divine power, and they weren’t restricted by the gravity at all. Their speed was like normal.

The thirty-six Highgods, however, had their speed drop to a very low level. Bates, however, wasn’t impacted at all. Also, those thirty-six Highgods had all been separated...

It was a massacre!

“This damn place....break!” A Highgod angrily smashed towards a black wall, which rippled like water but wasn’t damaged at all. This was a Blackstone Prison formed from three types of profound mysteries. In terms of defensive strength, it was comparable to Linley’s former Pulseguard Armor.

“Motherf*cker, how should we leave?” The Highgod was extremely frantic.

Suddenly...

“Hi.” A voice rang out.

The Highgod turned to look and saw a strange shadow emerge from the walls. He only saw a pair of cold, dark golden eyes appear, and then his head went dizzy and he lost all consciousness.

“Killing in this environment really is easy.” Linley laughed calmly.

The Blackstone Prison wasn’t just capable of trapping people and applying powerful gravity; the black stone itself also contained that sort of special soul affecting property, much like the strange wind sound of the Amethyst Mountains. As Linley attacked, he immediately used his spiritual energy to use the black stone to affect the soul.

When the opponent was dizzy and unconscious, Linley would naturally kill them effortlessly with one attack.

................

“Urgh!” A Highgod was greatly shocked and immediately used a soul attack.

A black light flashed by, and the Highgod’s head immediately blew apart as a divine spark flew out.

“Haha, he’s so slow.” Bebe laughed loudly.

Under this sort of profound gravity, their speed was slowed and they weren’t even able to dodge. All they could do was use soul attacks, but upon encountering Bebe, this person still died.

But of course, if he encountered Linley...he’d be even worse off. He wouldn’t even have a chance to use a soul attack.

.............

“Brothers, material attacks, all together!” In the instant the Blackstone Prison formed, Dimon immediately bellowed angrily.

Immediately, the thousands of Gods immediately wielded their weapons, and thousands of tightly clustered material attacks shot out. Earthen yellow, light blue, green, golden yellow...all sorts of colors shot out as attacks roared forth towards the Blackstone Prison.

However...

“Whoosh!” The Blackstone Prison, strangely enough, began to sink down from the surface of the sea into the depths.

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”

Of the thousands of attacks, only a few hundred struck the Blackstone Prison. The combined attacks of a few hundred Gods, against this Blackstone Prison formed from three types of profound mysteries and which was comparable to something completely formed from Pulseguard Armor, only caused the walls to tremble lightly, and then immediately return to calmness.

It hadn’t been damaged at all!

Linley’s Blackstone Prison wasn’t too far off from that Castle of Sand.

“Huh?” Dimon was shocked.

But suddenly, the entire Blackstone Prison bizarrely vanished, revealing twelve people within it. It was Linley’s group. Although all of this took time to describe, roughly only ten seconds had passed before the Blackstone Prison formed, then vanished.

The only difference was, those thirty-six Highgods had all been killed.

“Im...impossible!” Dimon’s face changed dramatically.

Thirty six Highgods, all dead in the blink of an eye. How was this possible?

“There’s an expert who trains in the Laws of the Earth.” Dimon understood that just now, the black stone castle that had formed had a powerful earth aura. In the blink of an eye, thirty-six Highgods had been killed. “That expert most likely isn’t the big bearded fellow. There’s another hidden expert in that group.”

Dimon was startled.

He didn’t know what was going on with this little squad. It originally only had two Highgods, which was already quite formidable, but then first Bates popped out of nowhere, and now it seemed yet another powerful figure had appeared.

“Haha...” Bates laughed loudly. “Now, the only Highgod left is you. Heh heh, my turn...”

How could Dimon dare to take them head on?

Dimon wasn’t completely confident in being able to deal with Bates’ power, and what’s more, there was another hidden figure who was even more powerful than Bates, who trained in the Laws of the Earth!

Flee!

Without saying a word, Dimon immediately turned and fled, while secretly cursing, “This squad only had twenty or so people. Why are there so many experts hidden within it?”

“That black stone castle actually resulted in thirty-six Highgods dying so quickly within it. It definitely was formed by a Six Star Fiend, or possibly a Seven Star Fiend!” Dimon was extremely certain. “Forget it. Why obsess over it? At least I discovered a Soul Mutate this time. I can be considered to have made an accomplishment!”

While thinking this, Dimon fled far away.

“The second leader fled.”

“Quick, flee!”

Those thousands of Gods were all frightened and fled as well. Just now, their combined attacks had been unable to budge the Blackstone Prison, and that was with the Blackstone Prison being so huge as to have hundreds of attacks strike it. If it had been a Highgod, perhaps only a few attacks would have landed.

Moments later, they all disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only twelve lucky survivors.

“Just now, who was that expert who created that black stone castle?” The lucky survivors and Aches immediately looked around, only all of the surviving Fiends were puzzled. Bebe, Olivier, and the others all intentionally looked around in confusion as well.

“Hey, who was it?” Bebe looked puzzled. “We actually have such a powerful expert here? I admire him so very much. Tell me, who is it?” Bebe continuously looked around at the others.