In the sky.
Elder Peter Barker’s brows remained tightly furrowed, as the Bloodsoul Guard had yet to find any suspicious individuals.
After a moment of contemplation, Peter Barker descended from Xylos’s back, hovering above Clearwind Town.
The powerful aura of a high-ranking Spirit Saint radiated from him, enveloping the entire town.
Peter Barker stood with his hands behind his back, his head slightly lowered, and his sharp gaze sweeping over Clearwind Town.
“Fellow cultivators, today the Bloodsoul Sect has come to Clearwind Town because some incidents have occurred within our sect.”
“Three core disciples and an elder of the Bloodsoul Sect recently perished in the Southern Marches grasslands.”
Peter Barker’s voice echoed clearly in the ears of every cultivator in Clearwind Town.
Hearing his words, many cultivators in the town were quite shocked.
“Fellow cultivators, if anyone can provide information about suspicious individuals who have appeared in the Southern Marches grasslands and Clearwind Town recently, please come forward truthfully. The Bloodsoul Sect will offer a generous reward!”
Peter Barker continued with the details of the reward: “For those who help the Bloodsoul Sect find the culprit, we will reward five Fourth-rank Soul Pills, two hundred thousand Low-Quality Spirit Stones, and a high-grade Spirit Treasure!”
Upon hearing such a generous reward, Clearwind Town first fell silent, then erupted in excitement.
“Such a generous reward, the Bloodsoul Sect is really putting in a lot.”
“This shows how seriously the Bloodsoul Sect is taking this matter. Five Soul Pills, two hundred thousand Low-Quality Spirit Stones, and a high-grade Spirit Treasure, wow…”
“It seems I should wander around more often; maybe I’ll find that suspicious person.”
The powerful lure of rewards instantly ignited the cultivators’ enthusiasm.
Leo sneered inwardly, “With such a generous reward, I wonder if I report myself, will the Bloodsoul Sect give me the reward?”
“The Bloodsoul Sect always keeps its word. The promised rewards will definitely be fulfilled. Fellow cultivators can all bear witness!”
“Of course, if we find out that someone knew but didn’t report it, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Peter Barker first offered a sweet deal, then issued a stern warning, employing both kindness and severity.
Seeing no further point in staying, Peter Barker retracted his gaze and mounted Xylos’s back.
Xylos roared, its four hooves galloping through the air towards the Southern Marches grasslands.
Behind Xylos, the Bloodsoul Guard transformed into streaks of blood-red light, following closely.
As the Bloodsoul Sect members left, the cultivators in Clearwind Town breathed a sigh of relief.
The invisible pressure released by Peter Barker earlier had been quite oppressive.
Leo withdrew his gaze from where Peter Barker had disappeared and said, “Let’s go to the Lord’s Manor.”
The group headed straight to the Lord’s Manor in the center of Clearwind Town.
With Elder Noah and Elder Archie present, the guards naturally did not dare to stop them.
In the backyard of the Lord’s Manor, there was a large artificial hill in the middle of an artificial lake.
According to Elder Noah and Elder Archie, Lucas Collins’s secret treasury was beneath this hill.
After using his divine sense to probe, Leo led Arthur, Elder Noah, and Elder Archie up the hill. He then pressed a certain spot on the hill.
With a slight rumbling sound, a door just wide enough for one person opened automatically in front of Leo.
Leo stepped inside first, followed by Arthur and the others.
After descending a flight of stairs, they reached an underground chamber hidden beneath the lake.
The chamber was neatly filled with rows of shelves.
The shelves were laden with various treasures, though many were covered in thick dust.
Clearly, these treasures were not important to Lucas Collins.
Of course, these treasures might also have been left by the previous lord.
Besides treasures, several shelves held numerous ores, including some rare ones.
There were also cultivation manuals and low-level spell books for cultivators.
Lastly, there were some Spirit Herbs, including a few rare Fourth-rank Spirit Herbs.
Leo wasn’t particularly interested in these items and let Arthur, Elder Noah, and Elder Archie each choose a few they liked.
Finally, Leo took an empty Storage Sack and swept all the items on the shelves into it.
Although most items were useless to Leo, they could be exchanged for Spirit Stones.
After looting everything, Leo and his group left the Lord’s Manor.
Outside the manor, Arthur looked at Leo and sincerely said, “Leo, come with me to the Zratol Watts family.”
Leo thought for a moment and nodded since he had no other destination in mind.
Additionally, to refine an Ascension Pill, besides Thunderfruit, he needed several rare Spirit Herbs that Zratol might have.
After sending Elder Noah and Elder Archie away, Leo summoned Thunder Wing Beast and headed towards Zratol under Arthur’s guidance.
By dusk, an ancient city appeared in Leo’s view.
The city covered a vast area and was at least ten times larger than Clearwind Town when viewed from above.
He could see many cultivators riding various flying beasts towards Zratol.
On the main roads below, numerous carriages pulled by beasts were racing along.
This scene made Leo feel like he had entered a movie set.
Thunder Wing Beast spread its wings and began to descend.
After landing, Leo put Thunder Wing Beast back into his Spirit Pouch.
Looking up ahead, Zratol’s majestic city walls stood a hundred meters tall, reflecting a dark golden hue in the sunset’s afterglow.
Zratol was near Azure Dragon Mountains and occasionally suffered beast tide attacks; hence its walls were built exceptionally strong.
At the city gate stood ten armored guards, five on each side.
The guards wore bronze masks that only revealed their eyes. Standing still, they looked like human statues.
Like Clearwind Town, entering Zratol required an entry fee of one Low-Quality Spirit Stone.
After paying the fee, Leo and Arthur entered Zratol.
The city’s streets were very wide, enough to accommodate three carriages side by side.
Various shops lined both sides of the street, selling all kinds of goods inside.
What a bustling and prosperous place it was!
Under Arthur’s lead, they soon stopped in front of a mansion.
Arthur pointed to its grand entrance and said, “Leo, this is my home.”
Leo looked ahead and saw two imposing lion statues flanking the grand entrance. The plaque above the door bore two gilded characters: “Watts Mansion.”
Leo smiled and said, “Your home is quite impressive.”
“This mansion was left from when my Watts family was at its peak a hundred years ago,” Arthur said with a hint of melancholy in his eyes. “Today, my Watts family is gradually declining. We might even lose our status as one of the three major families someday.”