Chapter 1439: 1439. Hunting teams

Miss Canson ran through the corridors made of crystals that radiated a purple radiance when the white light of the sky fell on them. An inscribed notebook flickered in her grasp, and a happy expression rested on her face.

The expert crossed many halls until she reached a small room where a slender cultivator was meditating. The man quickly straightened his position and performed a bow when Miss Canson entered his habitation. He was stronger than her, but he had to show his respect toward the daughter of a pillar of the Crystal City.

"We found something," Miss Canson announced. "The giant Crab from the pond has reported that four humans have robbed its lair. Defying Demon might be with them."

"Was he with rank 8 cultivators?" Charles asked as a stupefied expression appeared on his face.

Robbing a rank 8 magical beast would most of the time lead to certain death. The fact that the four humans had survived meant that their power had to be at a similar level.

"No," Miss Canson replied. "According to the creature, they were no more than smart flies capable of petty tricks. The whole group must be in the seventh rank."

"I can only acknowledge this hybrid's guts," Charles admitted. "I can't wait to meet him on the battlefield. Did the Crab mention where they went?"

"Yes," Miss Canson said happily. "The creature wasn't precise with its description, but we are almost certain that they are going toward the Land of the Fallen. I have already contacted the Rat King. It will notify their precise location once they enter its domain."

"Perfect," Charles replied. "I will gather my team. I will also bring Lord Ethan's team with me. Solidifying our friendship with the Sailbrird family can only benefit the Crystal City."

"Are you sure?" Miss Canson asked. "Bringing Defying Demon's head back to the palace should be enough. We should be careful with outsiders. They don't know how many compromises we have to make regarding the magical beasts' domain. They won't understand."

"The must," Charles said as a cold smile appeared on his face, "Or we will force them to accept them."

Miss Canson nodded and left the room before Charles could perform another polite bow. His cold smile vanished after she left, and an expressionless face replaced it.

Charles felt that something was off. Defying Demon had been in the Immortal Lands for less than a millennium, but he had already clashed with multiple forces. He had even found powerful and reckless companions, which usually hinted at something that could make his hunts troublesome.

"A group of rank 7 cultivators that steals from the lair of a rank 8 creature," Charles whispered to himself. "The magical beasts' domain is losing power. The Crystal City will soon have the strength to reclaim those lands."

Charles changed, wearing one of the inscribed white robes of the Crystal City, and left his room. His inscribed notebook appeared in his hands, and multiple mental messages flowed into the item as he walked toward the habitations of Madame Canson's guests.

A slightly disgusted expression appeared on his face when he saw the state of Lord Ethan's guards. The Crystal City had provided them with everything they requested, but they had spent all the time inside the palace drinking wine and indulging in despicable behaviors.

"To think that the other forces still rely on the guilds," Charles said without hiding his disgust.

The cultivators in the habitation quickly straightened their position and cleaned the area before reporting to Charles. The only solid stage expert around them neared the member of the Crystal City and performed a polite bow before waiting for him to talk.

"We have found something," Charles said. "It might be Defying Demon. You will join my team for the hunt. I hope this isn't a problem."

"Absolutely," The man in the solid stage replied, but a doubtful expression soon appeared on his face. "With all due respect, don't you think that bringing your team along is too much? Defying Demon is only a liquid stage hybrid. I have eight soldiers who are at the same level."

Charles stared deep into the man's brown eyes before heaving a sigh. He could see how lightly the organizations that rarely went to war took those situations. That approach was the main reason behind so many rebels.

"Your name?" Charles asked.

"Percival," The solid stage expert replied.

"Very well, Percival," Charles said. "Defying Demon and his group have successfully robbed a lair protected by a rank 8 magical beast. You are also aware of what he had done in the past. I believe that experts at the same level won't be enough to kill him."

"But we are stronger than him," Percival replied.

"Strength is relative in some fields," Charles said. "Defying Demon is a hybrid, so we have to consider the magical beasts around him as his allies. He has already used them to his advantage, and he has no fear in summoning rank 8 creatures because he knows that his chances of survival are higher than ours."

Percival gulped. He wouldn't summon a rank 8 magical beast even in his wildest dreams. He had seen some of those in action, and the memory would remain in his mind forever.

"He also has a strange individuality and unique techniques," Charles continued. "He was in the gaseous stage before entering the Hellish Landscape, but he came out as an expert in the liquid stage after defeating our troops that featured an expert at that level."

Percival could only gulp again. Charles' tone was becoming colder, but his words were on point. Defying Demon had already survived situations when he was at a disadvantage. The best way to ensure the success of their hunt was to bring enough man-power that even the luckiest of the encounters couldn't allow him to escape.

"What do you have in mind?" Percival eventually asked.

"I will take another solid stage expert of the Crystal City with us," Charles replied. "Other liquid stage cultivators will also join. I want this mission to be a crushing success."

"It will be," Percival said. "This team will be stronger than most guilds. I don't believe that he can survive this."

"Good," Charles replied before leaving the room.

The time for words was over. It was time to put an end to the long troubles caused by Defying Demon.

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While the Crystal City activated its hunting teams, Noah and the others regrouped near the Land of the Fallen.

Their destination was on the opposite side of the Land of the Fallen in the old human domain, so they didn't have much information about the area. Still, the main topic of their conversation didn't involve those regions.

"Are you sure that you have only taken eleven crystals with your rope?" Don asked.

"Why would I even lie?" Noah replied.

"I can make a list to answer that," Jordan answered.

"I can add things on that list," King Elbas added.

"Look," Noah began to speak. "I might have used one or two Bloodlines Inheritances, but you can't blame me. We literally travel with a cultivator that can't hold back his curiosity."

"Noah," King Elbas said before heaving a sigh. "We all have more than fifty crystals, and the ropes are identical."

Noah could only show a shameless smile at that line, but his attention went elsewhere when he noticed something peculiar. On a tree near his position, he saw a large Rat writing something on a leaf as it glanced toward his group.