Above The Sky
Chapter 561 - 561 530 The Big Trouble of the Dragon Worship Cult 13

561: Chapter 530 The Big Trouble of the Dragon Worship Cult (1/3) 561: Chapter 530 The Big Trouble of the Dragon Worship Cult (1/3) “Trouble is brewing!”

The Southern Ridge Worship Dragon Sect member in contact with Ian was Elder Mantle’s grandson, Pansha.

As the person in charge of trade with outsiders among the Mountain People, Pansha spoke with a grave tone, informing Ian about the dire situation at hand.

“Lord Sio has been extremely careful indeed.

He’s aware that his disguise isn’t particularly convincing; therefore, he never fully revealed himself from the beginning to the end.

Instead, he assisted in the search for that gang of villains in Fiery Flame Land solely by utilizing the perception of the Dragon Soul…

Unfortunately, it seems the enemy might have a spy among us, providing them with intelligence.

The Duke of Sorin’s men and those from the Fiery Flame Land were lying in wait ahead of time, and they captured Lord Sio and Lubeck’s team on the spot.”

“Following that, Lord Sio intended to retrieve the Dragon Soul, but the enemy used some kind of special Spirit Energy Ritual.

Utilizing the faint wisp of Dragon Soul within the lord’s artificial body, they managed to imprison Lord Sio’s Dragon Soul in return!”

“Don’t panic just yet,”

After taking a deep breath, Ian calmly inquired, “What does the King of the Mountain say?”

“The King has encountered an issue.

He mentioned some time ago that he had found the remains of the Icefog Dragon from four hundred years earlier and hasn’t returned since—however, we believe that the King has fallen into a trap as well, and that the enemy’s target from the start may have been the King…”

Though Pansha appeared somewhat careless, he was in fact a meticulous person.

He relayed the situation to Ian in great detail and with crystal clear meaning: “We don’t need to worry about the King himself; after all, if even the King can’t escape, our efforts would be futile anyway—the problem is how to rescue Lord Sio.”

“What can I do?”

With a calm demeanor, Ian asked, “Do you need intelligence on the Western Territory or potions?

If there’s any other way I can assist, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Huh?”

Pansha was somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting that Ian would willingly offer help: “But Ian, you’ve just joined the Dragon Worship Cult not long ago…

Although you too possess Dragon Blood, developing well in the Imperial Capital is the greatest help you can provide us.”

“After all…” He let out a bitter laugh: “If something really goes wrong…

I mean, we must be prepared for the worst scenario.”

“If that really happens, we might have to count on you to come back and take charge of the situation.”

Nice as it sounded, Pansha wasn’t actually expecting Ian to be of much help.

Ian fell silent for a moment; this didn’t surprise him.

His age and strengths were also his weaknesses; the advantage was that everyone believed he had a promising future, willing to invest resources and protective of him.

The downside was that no one thought the current Ian could actually accomplish anything significant, whether it be the Alchemy Association’s research on biowarfare that never involved him from beginning to end, or the Dragon Worship Cult only revealing the bad news when he asked—it was the same.

This was protection.

It was like how elders didn’t want their own problems to affect their younger ones focusing on their studies; everyone believed that Ian should now hone his Alchemy, as he had more important matters to attend to in the future.

So for now, let it be.

“Sigh.” He let out an inward sigh, taking out the mental protection necklace that Sio had given him: “What exactly is the problem?

Sio’s true form should be specialized in soul and spirit.

A single scale should be enough to protect from all harm and curses from Spirit Energy at the First Power Level and partly from the Second Power Level.”

“His deformed body makes his soul exceptionally developed, and logically, he shouldn’t be so easily ambushed.”

“On the other hand, if someone targeted this very aspect and specifically ambushed Sio…

Without considering this, Sio, with his intelligence, indeed would hardly have any contingency to counterattack.”

—It must be the Book of Silver Radiance.

The Book of Silver Radiance was stolen, and it surely contains some arts related to the True Dragon…

or rather, the reason the Southern Ridge Worship Dragon Sect is so concerned about the Book of Silver Radiance could be because it contains methods specifically aimed at the ‘Deformed Dragon’ condition of Sio.

It could be used for healing, but also for binding.

Hence this time, Sio might have indeed walked right into their trap.

Ian discarded Pansha’s slightly pessimistic tone from his thoughts, his mind racing, yet he continued to speak with equanimity: “Lately, The Empire and Fiery Flame Land have been waging a creature war; the West Frontier Plains are reportedly riddled with various frenzied beasts.

It’s likely that Fiery Flame Land has established their stronghold amidst such tumult and captured Sio and the others.”

“Nonetheless, I know that The Empire is about to strike back.

I will be able to tell you the exact time shortly.

If we truly want to rescue Sio and his team, taking advantage of the chaos during The Empire’s counterattack would be the best opportunity.”

“Contact Marquis Barton, The Empire might be vast, but at least Nanling Province wouldn’t want the chaos in the Western Territory to spread to the South Ridge.

They wouldn’t refuse the Dragon Worship Cult’s help in sabotaging Fiery Flame Land’s plans.”

“Ian…”

Pansha was taken aback, then earnestly said, “That’s very important information.

Thank you very much.”

“No need to thank me.” Ian analyzed the intelligence he possessed and translated it into words, “What about Elder Mantle?

He should be investigating who exactly the enemy is, right?

Tell him, although on the surface it seems to be the Spirit Wisdom Institute and Fiery Flame Land, it’s actually the Duke of Solin.”

“The Spirit Wisdom Institute and the Duke of Solin are collaborating, and at the same time, the Duke of Solin is cooperating with Fiery Flame Land—the ‘Book of Silver Radiance,’ which sealed Sio’s soul, was originally stored in the Imperial Capital Royal Library, but it was stolen by the Spirit Wisdom Institute for related experiments…”

At this point, Ian paused abruptly because he realized that the experiments conducted by the Spirit Wisdom Institute in Leyan Territory also appeared to be related to souls and Spirit Energy…

It seems that the Spirit Wisdom Institute must have been obtaining experimental materials in the Western Territory and then conducting experiments in the relatively tranquil areas of South Ridge.

In the West Frontier Plains, they definitely have a large-scale experimental center, especially since those experiments that require more materials are undoubtedly conducted there.

Considering the depth of cooperation between the Duke of Solin and Fiery Flame Land, this laboratory surely isn’t just operated by the Spirit Wisdom Institute.

It must include a part of Fiery Flame Land as well.

In other words, the headquarters of Fiery Flame Land on the West Frontier Plains must be nearby.

Indeed, when Sio and the others went there, they did find the headquarters of Fiery Flame Land’s special combat forces, but essentially, they were walking right into a trap.”

“Things are getting complicated.”

Ian furrowed his brows, recalling all the events and people he had encountered since leaving Harrison Port, and he immediately realized the complexity of the situation might exceed everyone’s expectations.

— In the path of the Dao at the Worm Nest, I conquered the independent Sorin Duchy.

In my prophetic dream, this memory carried no weight, and I didn’t encounter any significant resistance.

Upon reflection, it might also be because the Sorin Duchy had already been devastated.

Numerous Western Border Refugees were relocated elsewhere, and Fiery Flame Land, the Spirit Wisdom Institute, or even the Duke of Solin himself ravaged the land repeatedly.

With the experiments of the Spirit Wisdom Institute and the biowarfare of Fiery Flame Land, anyone who could stay in such a forsaken place must be insane or foolish.

But the prerequisite for such a thought is that the Duke of Solin is an idiot who finds pleasure in tormenting both himself and his base of support.

But he obviously is not.

So the question arises, what is his real purpose?

Ian’s intuition told him that this point was crucial…

On the surface, it seemed that Fiery Flame Land and the Spirit Wisdom Institute were using the Duke of Solin’s power to achieve their own goals, but in reality, it was the Duke of Solin who was using the Spirit Wisdom Institute and Fiery Flame Land’s technologies to achieve his own purpose.

“Could it be that the Duke chose this moment to declare independence?

But that would be far too early compared to the timeline in the path of the Dao of the Worm Nest—is something happening?”

All the events vaguely connected in the young man’s heart, and he sensed that a massive conspiracy was taking shape.

The Duke of Solin, at the cost of using his own territory as a battleground for two powers, had amassed the biotechnology of Fiery Flame Land and the soul and Spirit Energy techniques of the Spirit Wisdom Institute.

His ultimate goal must surely be beyond anyone’s imagination.

It could be a power that was enough to influence the world’s geopolitical landscape.

But Ian found it difficult to express this instinctual sense of danger to others and could only say to Pansha, “That’s roughly the situation.

I’ll go inquire with the Knight Order of Inspectorate.”

“…I’ll convey this information to Grandfather.”

The Mountain Person said earnestly, “But still, the same advice applies, Ian—prioritize your own safety.

We believe The King will definitely find a way out of his predicament, and when that happens, things will naturally be resolved.”

“If The King can’t…

prioritize not revealing yourself.”

— Not reveal myself?

Who’s kidding whom?

Who doesn’t know that I’m with the Dragon Worship Cult?

“I understand.”

Ian couldn’t help feeling somewhat helpless; clearly, Pansha didn’t fully grasp how powerful The Empire’s intelligence network was.

If it were Elder Mantle, he would never utter such formulaic advice.

After ending the communication, Ian closed his eyes and pondered for a while.

Then, he left the laboratory and headed toward the Knight Order of Inspectorate’s garrison.