431 The Dar Family

"Alright. Everyone, let us stop for a quick break." Chief Valencia said after some thoughts. 

After giving Leon a quick glance, she was surprised that he had not broken a sweat. He was still fit to keep going despite carrying Darlene the entire time. He was not joking when he said that she did not have to worry about him.

On the other hand, the two senior warriors at the Battle Master Realm were puffing from exhaustion. They were getting old, and their organs were not performing like they used to.

"Thanks for the consideration." One of them said to the Extremity-rank Great Warrior. 

The Extremity-rank Great Warrior smiled lightly. He did not request a break for the senior warriors. Instead, it was because of another reason. 

He made his way over and gazed at the person on Leon's back. After a moment, the aged Extremity-rank Great Warrior spoke, "Darlene? It's your father." 

Leon could feel Darlene's body tremble for a moment after hearing the Extremity-rank Great Warrior speak. However, it was only for a moment. After that, her body started shivering—shivering with anger, that is.

Darlene looked up with red eyes and glared at the person hatefully.

"You're not my father!"

The Extremity-rank Great Warrior was not offended. He simply smiled it off and said, "How can you talk to your father like that? No matter, my blood runs in your veins. 

After hearing this, Darlene's mind became even more unstable. Her eyes became dark and ominous, and her aura became wrathful and malevolent. 

"So, what if I have your dirty blood? Did you forget how you disowned me and toss me aside when you found I was useless?! Do you think you still have the right to be called my father?!" Darlene barked with baleful eyes. 

The surrounding space began to twist and distort out of form due to her heightened emotion that transformed her anger into power. 

The Extremity-rank Great Warrior's eyes lit up after seeing Darlene's display of power. He confirmed that the rumors he heard were right, and his lips curved into a bigger smile.

"Whether you like it or not, I am still your father.��

"Go away! You're not worthy of being my father!" 

Darlene shouted threateningly when she saw the Extremity-rank Great Warrior take a step closer, causing the person's smile to become noticeably forced. 

No matter what, he was a proud Extremity-rank Great Warrior. There was a limit to his tolerance when he is being disrespected by others.

At the same time, Leon lowered Darlene down from his back and soothed her with a backrub. The unstable spatial distortion was affecting him. However, it was like a soft pinch—thanks to his insanely high fleshly defense. 

"Divine Doctor, I would be most grateful if you do not interfere in our family matters." The Extremity-rank Great Warrior said respectfully after turning to Leon.

The Extremity-rank Great Warrior's name was Darren. He was from the Dar family, which had a long-standing history within the Darkmoon Tribe that was only inferior to the Golden family.

At this moment, Chief Valencia and the others have already moved some distance away from them. They were not interested in involving themselves in Darren's family matters. 

But while they were not interested, Leon was.

"I don't know what family matters you are talking about. I only know that she's my woman, and she does not welcome your presence, so step back." Leon spoke with a bit of warning in his tone.

Darren's expression became glum when his respect was not reciprocated. Nevertheless, he knew what to do and not to do. Chief Valencia was watching.

"We'll talk another time," Darren said to Darlene before turning around and walked away, finding a boulder some distance away to sit on.

Leon turned to Darlene and consoled her with gentle words and a backrub, "It's fine now. He's gone."

Darlene dove into Leon's arms and buried her face in his chest wordlessly. Leon did not expect a response from her and continued to hold her in silence until she calmed down.

Everyone had their weakness. 

It became apparent to Leon that the event had left quite an emotional scar on Darlene's heart when she was abandoned by her own family.

Leon narrowed his eyes when he watched the person claiming to be Darlene's father leave. He did not sense any deep emotion from the person like one would expect between a father and daughter reunion. What he saw were only fake smiles.

The only real emotion he saw from the person was the flicker of excitement when Darlene displayed her power and when the person spoke respectfully to him.

The person wanted to patch up their father-daughter relationship after finding out that his daughter was no longer useless? Or did the person wanted to get closer to him after learning how close the relationship they shared?

'An opportunist.' 

Leon concluded the person to be.

After resting some time, Chief Valencia stood up and announced with her clear and powerful voice, "Let us continue the journey!"

"Yes, chief!"

The expedition group shortly gathered before they continued their journey to the Black Swamp. Leon carefully picked Darlene up and place her on his back. She seemed to have fallen asleep.

A few hours later, they finally stopped running after arriving at the perimeters of the Black Swamp's outer region.

"Wow, the Black Swamp really disappeared. There is nothing left here. All the lost treasures can be easily seen now!" An Early-rank Great Warrior exclaimed, feeling excited.

"Can the Black Swamp still be called the Black Swamp without its black swamp?"

"There's no black water left here, but the same cannot be said that the inner region. So, I would say, yes?"

"Chief, can we start scavenging for treasures?" Another Early-rank Great Warrior inquired the chief with two hands rubbing each other, failing to suppress his eagerness. 

Chief Valencia nodded, "Go! Take what you want, but don't touch what you shouldn't!"

The expedition group immediately praised the chief before rushing into the Black Swamp's outer region ahead to scavenge, leaving just Chief Valencia, Leon, and Darlene on his back behind.

Chief Valencia mildly shook her head at her tribesmen's enthusiasm before turning to Leon at her side.

"Do you remember the location of the Teleportation Array, Little Nephew Leonhardt?"

"It should be roughly a dozen miles to the left from here, closer to the Weeping Forest," Leon answered after a brief observation of the area.

"Then we shall head in that direction." 

"Thanks."

"It's nothing. If this Teleportation Array can be moved, we must back it back to the tribe and not let it fall in the hands of the others." Chief Valencia said.

Leon nodded. 

He had overlooked this matter. 

He should have stored the Teleportation Array into his Worldspace upon his arrival. It was his only opportunity before the Bone Calamity struck and forced him to steer clear of the place.

"Ahh! What the hell is this?!"

"What happened? What is it?"

An Early-rank Great Warrior suddenly cried with alarm, causing the others to glance in his direction and immediately question him.

"I don't know! Something suddenly grabbed my leg, but there's nothing when I looked!" The Early-rank Great Warrior explained.

Chief Valencia furrowed her brows and said to Leon, "Let's go take a look."

"Alright."

Leon nodded.

Shortly after, he shook Darlene on his back, awake.

"Wake up."

"Uuu…" 

Darlene gave a groan before waking up groggily. After her mind regained clarity of the situation, she immediately blushed and asked, "I've shown you something unseemly today. What's happening?"

"Don't overthink it. It's nothing." Leon smiled before explaining, "There seems to be something happening in the Black Swamp. We are going to check it out now, so I need you to be awake in case something happens."

Darlene's grew more solemn before she nodded in understanding.

"I understand. I'll try not to get in hubby's way."

"That's not it. I'm telling you this so you can watch out for yourself in case I fail to protect you." Leon corrected her.

"Oh." 

Darlene responded with a sweet smile and hugged Leon's neck firmly with affection. It appeared that she misunderstood him.

Leon continued to carry Darlene on his back and followed the chief shortly after. When they arrived at the area where the Early-rank Great Warrior made the startled cry, they found nothing after listening to the warrior's recount.

Chief Valencia noticed a hole in the wet ground and said with a frown, "Dig this spot."

"Yes, chief!" 

At the same time, Leon casually sent his divine sense into the ground to inspect before he was suddenly given a scare and barked, "Don't do it!"

The High-rank Great Warrior holding his Soul Weapon in a shoveling stance froze at once.

Shortly after, Chief Valencia turned to Leon and asked, "What is it, Little Nephew Leonhardt? Did you notice something serious?"

"I did, but let us get away from here first!" Leon's lips twitched as he responded urgently. He silently swore he had just seen the ugliest thing he had ever in existence.

Chief Valencia nodded and quickly urged everyone to move. After they returned to solid land outside the Black Swamp, she queried, "What did you discover?"

"An abomination."

Leon answered flatly. He felt it suited the ghastly thing hidden underneath the Black Swamp quite crisply.