Ch. 2406..2410: The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 2406-2410
Chapter 2406
“But… the holy stones are still with the Morningstars… In fact, I believe they’re hoarding all the holy stones within the nation! Come to think of it, I remember members of their family using a more advanced breathing technique compared to my father… Is that why they need all those stones?” asked Fayvel.
“Doubt it. They wouldn’t need that many just to cultivate. Now that I know the scale of their hoarding, however, I believe they may be preparing them for another party that’s been backing them up! That aside, you don’t need to worry. All you’ll need to do after this is follow Aiden to their manor and show them what I’m about to give you. They’ll surely be more compliant to hand you some holy stones by that point. Aiden will be needing some of the stones for his cultivation as well,” replied Gerald.
“Sounds like a plan! Though… What exactly are we bringing with us…?” asked Aiden.
Looking at how curious they all were, Gerald simply walked toward the hall and took out a piece of paper as well as a pen. Following that, he wrote down, ‘Gerald Crawford’ on the paper…
To Gerald, this was all he needed to get the Morningstars to hand them at least a hundred holy stones. Though this left Fayvel utterly confused, Aiden simply nodded confidently…
Moving back to Jaxen, he was still immersed in grief back at his manor. To think that he had already lost two of his sons when Gerald had barely been back for two days… It was truly heart-wrenching…
“The elders of the Thunder Sword Sect had better come soon… Otherwise, we may have to postpone the birthday banquet to the day after tomorrow! ” grumbled the angered Jaxen.
In response, the six elders simply nodded hesitantly. From all that had happened, Gerald didn’t seem interested in sparing their family…
After a brief pause, Third Elder was prompted to say in a frigid tone, “If all else fails, remember that aside from collecting holy stones for the Thunder Sword Sect, the Morningstars have another important mission…!”
“You can’t mean… the one we have locked up…? Third Brother, have you gone mad? Simply talking about it is already a taboo, yet you dare suggest we let him free?!” retorted Second Elder whose face had gone stiff.
“Second Brother’s right. He’s arguably stronger than those from the Thunder Sword Sect, and besides, we’re responsible for keeping an eye on him! If we release him, he’ll potentially become even more terrifying than Gerald!” added the Grand Elder as he shook his head.
“What’s there to be afraid of? He’ll only be after Gerald once he’s free, not us. Besides, Thunder Sword Sect probably has their sinister reasons for making us keep watch of that lunatic instead of doing it themselves. My theory is that they’re afraid that he’ll have his revenge on them if he breaks free, which is why they’re using us as an alarm signal! That way, they’ll have time to react as the maniac focuses on killing us! ” replied Third Elder.
“Cease this conversation! I won’t allow it!” declared Jaxen as he got to his feet while shaking his head.
Immediately after he said that, a butler came running toward them while anxiously exclaiming, “B-bad news, Master…!”
“Go on, ” grumbled Jaxen as his eyes fell on the paper in the butler’s trembling hand.
After a gulp, the butler then muttered, “G-Gerald’s men are outside… They told me to show you this… and in exchange, they’re asking for a hundred holy stones!”
“They… They what…?!” exclaimed Jaxen who was already quivering in rage. Even the six elders were pissed when they saw Gerald’s full name on the paper.
Actively holding back his anger, Second Elder was prompted to growl, “A hundred pieces…?! If he had just asked for ten, we could ’ve given him that even though that’s against our agreement with the Thunder Sword Sect! Has that boy no idea that we’ve
only managed to gather a hundred and nine holy stones after searching tirelessly for three years…?!”
“Remember, the Thunder Sword Sect gave us five years to collect a hundred and twenty of them! With how difficult they are to obtain, I’ve lost count of how many disciples got injured or even killed just to get the stones we currently have! With that said, Gerald is clearly crossing the line here!” yelled Grand Elder.
“While we’ll be temporarily safe if we hand Gerald the holy stones, the Thunder Sword Sect will then have our heads! Is this god’s way of saying that we should end our family already?! It’s no longer a matter of if we die, but when!” wailed the remaining elders as Jaxen who had flopped back onto his seat-stared at the paper, completely at a loss for words…
“We aren’t dying anytime soon! We still have that triumph card!” declared Third Elder as he slammed his hand onto the table.
Chapter 2407
“Are you… suggesting we follow your earlier plan…?” asked Grand Elder as everyone exchanged worried glances.
“I am. It’s Gerald or us! Let’s release him!” replied Third Elder.
After a brief pause, Jaxen eventually slammed his hands against the table before yelling, “Fine! If anything goes wrong, we’ll just bear the consequences! Let us proceed with the plan!”
“I agree! ” added Grand Elder with a nod. This was a matter of life and death.
After a lengthy discussion, the group of men got a key and headed to the Morningstar manor’s dungeon. There were eighteen doors leading into the dungeon, each sufficiently booby-trapped and some even sealed with formations. This was to prevent unauthorized entry and also to make it incredibly difficult for escape attempts. Either way, after passing through those doors, the group found themselves in a cavern. They were now close to where the lunatic was being confined It only took a short while before the group arrived at a hemispherical cave that was surrounded by formations that exerted immense murderous intent as well as a legendary holy spirit.
The inside of the cave itself resembled a temple square, and at the very center of that square was a square altar that had a ring-shaped lake surrounding it..
Atop the altar, knelt a gray-haired elder whose clavicles had been pierced by thirty-six iron chains. With how thick his beard was, they honestly resembled overgrown weeds.
Regardless, upon noticing the group’s presence, the old man coldly yelled, “And here I thought who it was. So, it’s just you mortals. Why are you here? Did those rascals from the Thunder Sword Sect order
you to take my life? If so, I don’t wish to be mean, but your tiny group won’t even be able to lay a scratch on me! If they want me dead so much, get the Thunder Sword Sect to end me themselves!”
Following that, the old man laughed maniacally, prompting all seven of them to shudder. Eventually, however, Jaxen gulped before saying, “Please don’t be mad, Senior Moldell… We’d never dare to take your life! Keeping an eye on you is just part of our orders! With that in mind, please forgive us…!”
“Indeed, Senior Moldelll We already know that your cultivation is unmatched, so we’d never do anything rude to you…!” added Grand Elder with a bow.
“Cut the cr*p and get to the point! What do you seven little mortals want?!” roared the old man, prompting all seven of them to kneel!
Now shaking in fear, Grand Elder cried out, “W-we’re sorry, but we hope you’ll be willing to help us take on an enemy of ours…!”
“What? You want me to help you defeat an enemy? Are my ears deceiving me after being locked down here for thirty years? Those Thunder Sword b*stards are your masters, no? Why the hell aren’t you asking for their help instead?” retorted the old man as he laughed mockingly.
“B-believe us when we say that you’re our only hope…! If you refuse to help, we’ll probably die by tonight…!” replied Jaxen.
“If you choose to help, we’ll be willing to offer you a short period of freedom…!” whimpered the others as they continuously exchanged glances.
“Oh?” replied the old man as his eyes glinted. Naturally, he wasn’t just interested in the momentary freedom they promised.
Chapter 2408
While he wasn’t about to say no to freedom, there was something else on his mind. For one, the fact that these seven mortals had come down here without permission from the Thunder Sword Sect was already punishable by death. With that in mind, if they were willing to risk their lives just to momentarily release him, that had to mean that the enemy was exceedingly strong!
“Is he really that strong?” asked the old man.
“He is, and despite being so young, he’s probably stronger than the three elders of the Thunder Sword Sect! We know since even after so many years of cultivating, all seven of us weren’t even able to block a single attack from him…!” replied Jaxen as he began explaining about Gerald and his sons’ deaths.
Naturally, this left the old man surprised as he thought, ‘To think that the outside world has changed so much after being imprisoned here for just a few decades… For that boy to be this powerful, he must be a true cultivator from the cultivation realm like me!’
If he could have a good fight with the boy during his ‘momentary freedom,’ he could at least vent all his anger and grievances that he had accumulated over the years on him. In doing so, he’d finally be relieved of his mental torment for a bit.
Turning to look at the seven kneeling men who were still waiting for his reply, the old man eventually said, “Fine, I’ll help. However, are you really going to free me?”
“About that… Please don’t get mad, senior, but we can’t touch the chain formations… We’d get pulverized if we did! That aside, we do have access to a soul shifting formation… If you don’t mind, we’ll use the formation to transfer your primary soul to another person’s body… Take note, however,
that the formation can only last for four hours… With that said, once the time is up, you’ll automatically be sent back to your body,” explained Jaxen.
“Four hours of freedom is the best we can compromise with…” added Grand Elder.
“The Thunder Sword Sect had me locked down here since they know that I’m a straightforward person who likes to travel. In other words, they knew I’d feel true torture down here. That aside, I’m in. Four hours, it is!” declared the old man with a laugh.
Hearing that, the Grand Elder leaped out before tossing an old man into the cavern!
When he saw that, Jaxen was prompted to say, “We’ll be casting the spell now, senior!”
As they had said, the soul-shifting formation would be broken after four hours. However, what they didn’t mention was the fact that if the old man attempted to seek revenge on them, the formation would immediately explode, thus destroying his soul! Even so, they believed that the old man was smart enough to know that they’d have a backup plan. With that in mind, both parties were equally at risk of being in danger.
The seven, for one, believed that the old man wasn’t foolish enough to end his life just to kill them, which further gave them the guts to release him.
Whatever the case was, shortly after the soul-shifting formation was initiated, the old man’s primary soul could be seen rising from his body before transforming into a beam of light that quickly shot into the dead old man’s body that the seven had just killed!
It didn’t take long before the corpse opened its eyes and once his eyes were fully opened, brilliant light began radiating from his body!
As the seven men covered their eyes, they heard the old man laugh heartily as he yelled, “Hah! It’s good to be free!”
Following that, the old man transformed into a stream of light, disappearing into thin air!
“S-Senior…!” yelled the seven men as they quickly ran after him.
The Morningstar manor was built halfway up a mountain, and by the time they finally caught up to the old man-at the back of the mountain-, they were just in time to witness him glowing goldenly in an attack stance while yelling, “Thunderous Immobilite…!”
All of them could only state wide-eyed as the old man then shot out an immensely powerful lightblade…!
“Is… Is this the true power of the legendary cultivation realm…?” muttered all seven of them to themselves, all frozen in shock.
Chapter 2409
“It’s been ages since I, Lyndon Moldell, have felt this great! Come over here!” scoffed Lyndon as he turned to look at the seven men.
“Y-yes, senior…?” asked the men as they cautiously approached him.
“Give me his address so I can deal with him. Also, I’ll need you to do something for me in return. Otherwise, I won’t help with your problem!” said Lyndon with a sneer.
Though they were startled, after thinking about it for a while, Jaxon nodded before replying, “Alright, senior! Please state your request! “
“I know you’ve been ordered to guard me, so I won’t request to be set free. On the contrary, I believe my request should be simple enough to fulfill. See, while I was out training during my youth, I had a child in the secular world, and they eventually started the Moldell family who practiced secret techniques. I, for one, believe that the knowledge should’ve been passed down the generations, but that aside… I want all of you to search for my descendants. If you come across any, just show them this stone tablet and tell them to meet me. I have a set of sword techniques to pass on to them!” explained Lyndon.
Following that, he pinched his fingers together before carving some symbols on a flat stone. If the descendants the seven men came across were true Moldells, then they’d surely be able to decipher the symbols.
“Very well, senior! We promise to do the best we can!”
“Good. Once everything’s settled, I’ll teach all of you a set of cultivation techniques that’ll increase your odds of accessing the cultivation realm!” replied Lyndon, causing all seven of them to immediately freeze again.
After exchanging glances, they all knelt in gratitude before sharing Gerald’s location with Lyndon.
Lyndon himself then muttered, “What an interesting boy that Gerald must be… Let’s see how strong you are.”
Following that, Lyndon turned into a cloud of smoke, completely vanishing from sight…
***
Back at the manor on Wayfair Mountain, Aiden and Leo who had been practicing the cultivation techniques that Gerald had taught them for about four hours now couldn’t help but smile.
Clearly looking better than ever, Aiden was prompted to exclaim, “These techniques are awesome!”
“Indeed! Master truly is kind to us!” replied the grinning Leo as he scratched the back of his head.
“Hmm? That breathing technique…” muttered a third voice from out of the blue.
Naturally, this made Aiden and Leo turn to face the voice and standing there, was an old man with his hands against his back! Sensing something off with the old man, Aiden was prompted to ask in a frigid tone, “Who are you?”
“That breathing technique is very similar to the Ultimate Immobilizing Internal Skills that the Zemans use… What’s your relationship with Walter? Are you members of that family?” asked the surprised old man to the equally surprised Aiden.
True enough, they were practicing the Zeman family’s secret technique that Walter had given to Gerald. Since it was an authentic method that would allow them to enter the cultivation realm, Aiden and Leo clearly hadn’t expected the old man to recognize it through a simple glance.
Whatever the case was, Aiden eventually asked, in a careful tone, “We aren’t Zemans, but my brother is a friend of Mr. Zeman. Regardless, why are you here, old man?”
“Hah! I see… As I suspected, Gerald is practicing authentic cultivation realm cultivation methods as well! No wonder those seven men were that terrified! They were never his match!” declared Lyndon with a laugh, completely disregarding Aiden’s question.
“Hey now, don’t you think it’s a bit rude to ignore me when you’ve clearly trespassed into our turf?” retorted Aiden.
“Hmm? You’re not worthy of my time. Now go get Gerald for me!” ordered Lyndon.
“How arrogant! What kind of place do you think this is?! If you don’t leave immediately, you only have yourself to blame for what I’m about to do to you!” scoffed Aiden who was now brimming with energy in a confident tone.
Chapter 2410
“Hah! What you’re about to do to me? To think that you’re already this arrogant when you’ve just started cultivating your inner strength! Look, while you may think that your cultivating technique is superior, in my eyes, that Zeman technique is just something off the rack! ” scoffed Lyndon as he laughed bitterly while shaking his head.
“You’re courting death!” roared Aiden and Leo simultaneously as they pounced toward him!
To their shock, Lyndon simply waved his hand which sent a strong wave of essential qi flying out! The two weren’t his match at all!
Watching as they got tossed into the air before crashing on the ground and spurting out blood, Lyndon then replied, “Save it. You’re lucky that I don’t kill innocents. Otherwise, you’d be dead by now!”
Before the duo could reply, all three of them suddenly heard a voice saying, “Oh, you two are here? If you’re free, do get some water for me! I’d like to water the plants!”
Though the voice wasn’t all that loud, everyone seemed to magically be able to hear it clearly. As if that wasn’t surprising enough, the second the voice ended, Aiden and Leo felt a stream of energy flowing into their elixir-of-life fields and just like that, their injuries from the old man’s attack were completely healed! In fact, their bodies arguably felt better than before!
“Hell yeah!” declared Aiden as he and Leo got to their feet.
“What?” muttered the shocked old man as he felt his jaw drop. He, for one, knew that though his attack hadn’t been deadly, it should’ve shattered the duo’s meridians. With that in mind, to think that the
owner of the voice was able to cure them in seconds! Lyndon had never seen or even heard of such a technique!
However, what caught Lyndon’s attention most was the fact that he hadn’t been able to sense the speaker’s presence this entire time. How immensely interesting…!
Turning to face the owner of the voice, the old man was soon greeted by the sight of Gerald who had a hoe in hand planting flowers in the backyard. As it turned out, Gerald was building a condensation formation for Leo and Aiden to cultivate in. Naturally, before he could do any of that, he had to lay the foundation, which was what he was currently doing.
Regardless, after a brief pause, Lyndon asked in a loud voice, “You’re Gerald, correct?”
“I am, indeed,” replied Gerald as he took a bucket of water from Leo before pouring its contents onto the seeds that he had just sowed.
“Are you aware that I’m here to kill you?” asked Lyndon as he narrowed his eyes.
“Shh… Save it for later. I’m planting these flowers that’ll help absorb the holy spirit for the foundation I’m building. Please don’t distract me, though you’re free to sit around and wait for a bit!” replied Gerald in a serious tone.
Upon hearing that, Lyndon immediately began quivering in anger. To think that this brat had the nerve to order him around!
“I admit that your cultivation is quite high for a young boy… In fact, I found your healing spell to be extremely impressive as well! With that in mind, I had honestly wanted to just destroy your cultivation earlier, thinking that it was a pity to kill you. Unfortunately, your arrogance has made me change my
mind! Enjoy your trip to hell!” growled Lyndon as he clenched his fists, releasing an immense murderous aura…!
“You done, old man? Even if you aren’t, I advise you to take a seat. I’ll only be done with my work in about half an hour!” replied Gerald as he covered another seed with some soil.
“You…! Just die already!” roared Lyndon as he aimed a fierce blow at Gerald…!