Lord of the Magical Beasts

Chapter 705: Sound Demon

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Starry Sky Castle was surrounded by mountains, and the number of its residents and the transient population was much lower than at Camel Peak Castle. But its expanse was larger, and it felt very spacious. Every building, tavern, hotel, and store was tall and large. This was especially the case for the Wandering Castle’s most important Business Hall. It was built atop a mountain’s peak, among the clouds, and it seemed very impressive.

The Far West Land had an inhospitable natural environment, and Magical Beasts ran amok here. Only a few ordinary people settled here; most people dealing with the Starry Sky Castle were wanderers from various lands. Some of them traveled to the Far West Land to adventure, and some of them were selling their game or other special goods.

The number of common folks dealing with the Starry Sky Castle was much lower than Camel Peak Castle, so only a low number of common goods were sold in the Business Hall. Most of the goods were targeting experienced wanderers, and they were finely made. But their price was quite high, and ordinary people couldn’t afford them.

After Yang Ling got a rough understanding of the Starry Sky Castle’s terrain and situation, he went toward the wanderers’ Business Hall with the crowd. He planned to look for the legendary Dimensional Merchant and buy the Death Dimension’s Star Indicator. According to the intelligence they’d gathered, the various great factions had pinpointed that the Mother Nest was in the Nine Phantom Mountain Range and dispatched a large number of elites to search the region. They had limited time, so they had to head straight toward the Nine Phantom Mountain Range after buying the Star Indicator. If they didn’t hurry, they probably wouldn’t get there in time.

If they reached the Nine Phantom Mountain Range, exploring Skyreach Tower would be their most important mission. Still, Yang Ling didn’t want to give up on getting the Mother Nest as long as there was a chance. If they got there in time, they could at least observe various great battles and broaden their horizons, and they might even get a chance to take advantage of this crisis for their personal gain.

The Starry Sky Castle’s Business Hall was similar to the one in other Wandering Castles. It had 3 floors: the common area, the premium goods area, and the distinguished guest area. The hall was vast, but Yang Ling still managed to search the whole place. However, he didn’t find the legendary Dimensional Wanderer that sold Star Indicators, and many people had never heard about such a person.

“Rodriguez, what did that wandering bard say?” After Yang Ling searched the area several times without finding his target, he furrowed his brow and questioned the Corpse Wizard King in a deep voice.

“Lord, this is…” The Corpse Wizard King paused and hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “I ran into an old heavy drinker in the tavern, and he claimed that he was a wandering bard who’d visited most parts of the Chaos Dimension. He said that he had once seen a Dimensional Merchant that sold Star Indicators in the Starry Sky Castle.”

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment!

They searched the whole Business Hall, yet they still couldn’t find the legendary Dimensional Merchant. The Corpse Wizard King was more disappointed than the others, and he wore a miserable look. He felt a twinge of guilt. Yang Ling did his utmost to help him revive his daughter, and they’d traveled all the way from the distant Giant Dragon Mountain Range to this region. But it seemed that they had come here in vain because they didn’t have adequate information.

“Do you trust the words of an old drunkard?”

Yang Ling shook his head bitterly and looked at the guilty Corpse Wizard King. He observed his white hair and thought about his grief. He couldn’t help but sigh and walk away. He didn’t have to say anything else. To the public eye, the Corpse Wizard King seemed to be always smiling and quite perverted. Only Yang Ling knew the intense pain hidden in the depths of the Corpse Wizard King’s heart.

It was obvious that the Corpse Wizard King had acted with undue haste this time, but still, it was excusable.

When Yang Ling shook his head and was about to leave with the crowd, a youth leaning on a walking stick came over and spoke to them. “Sir, this is the Crystal Core of an Infernal Cerberus with Domain-Level Power. If you devour it, you will become a deity rapidly. Every piece costs just 20,000 black crystals. Why don’t you take several pieces?”

The youth’s hair was messy, and he’d lost everything beneath his left knee. It seemed like he had once sustained serious injuries, and his clothes were dirty and tattered. He was still far away, but they could already smell his strong unpleasant odor. It smelled as though he hadn’t bathed in decades. He seemed like an unsuccessful peddler, or perhaps he was a wanderer at the lowest rung of society, forced to sell shoddy goods to make a living.

“20,000 black crystals for a Crystal Core. How many do you want? I can sell them in bulk!” Yang Ling looked at the inferior Magical Beasts’ Crystal Core held out by the youth and chuckled. Even inferior Low-Level Deities’ Godheads weren’t anything to the current Magical Beast Divine Branch, let alone the Crystal Core of a Magical Beast with Domain-Level power.

“Huh? This is…” The one-legged peddler had suffered a grave blow, but he was thick-skinned and he quickly bounced back. “Lord, I don’t just have Crystal Cores; I also have many rare ores, hides, and Godheads. Why don’t you take a look at them? They are quite cheap.”

“Forget about it. You should keep them and use them yourself.” Yang Ling looked at the youth’s dirty spatial ring and shook his head. He led the group away with large strides. He planned to take a tour of the Starry Sky Castle. He wanted to see whether he could learn anything relevant by making some inquiries. If this wasn’t possible, then they could only travel to the Nine Phantom Mountain Range directly.

“Sir, do you need a guide? The Starry Sky Castle is enormous, and the terrain is very complex. But I’ve lived here for several thousand years, and I know it like the back of my hand.” The youth wasn’t willing to take no for an answer, so he took several steps forward. He followed Yang Ling and his companions. He noticed that Yang Ling wore finely-made clothes and he was followed by a large group of strong guards. It was obvious that he was either a wealthy man or a person with a respected status. How could the youth let this chance to make a large sum slip by?

“He’s lived in the Starry Sky Castle for several thousand years, so does he know everything about it?”

Yang Ling pondered over this. Many people traveled back and forth between Wandering Castles, and newly arrived people were never familiar with the castle they were in. But this seasoned nobody had stayed at the lowest rung of this place for so many years, so he surely knew much about it. For that reason, Yang Ling turned around quickly and questioned him calmly. “Fine, I will have to ask you: where is the Dimensional Merchant that sold Star Indicators here several hundred years ago?”

“The Sound Demon, you are looking for…” The youth shivered and his expression changed. After he learned the purpose of Yang Ling’s trip, he turned around and left. He had just a single leg, but he ran quickly with his walking stick. He ran as if he was escaping from a calamity, and he acted as though he’d seen a ghost.

“Binding Space!”

As Yang Ling snorted coldly, the body of the youth, who hadn’t gotten far, shivered, and he couldn’t budge. He was petrified. He couldn’t escape, nor could he speak to ask for help. It was difficult for him to move even a finger. If one observed the youth carefully, he would discover that his body was enveloped by a white mist.

Recently, Yang Ling had absorbed more Worldly Spiritual Qi and Faith Power, and his Wizard Power and Mental Energy had gotten stronger. The power of the Binding Space increased, and its scope could instantly expand to several thousand feet, or just affect a single enemy. It would prevent its target from moving, like a petrifaction spell. This skill wasn’t very effective against a peerless powerhouse, but it was more than enough to deal with an ordinary wanderer.

A peerless powerhouse that hid his aura?

The youth, Boll, whined inwardly. He realized that he’d come across a real powerhouse. At first, he hadn’t detected any Energy Ripples in Yang Ling’s body, so he assumed that he was just a young master traveling for fun with a large group of guards. He hadn’t considered that Yang Ling could be a peerless powerhouse that hid his power.

“Good, very good. It just so happens that I do need a guide.” Yang Ling teleported next to the youth and took out a Moon Soul Stone from his spatial ring. He said calmly, “Bring me to see the Sound Demon, and this Moon Stone will be yours. If you don’t, I will extinguish your soul, and the Starry Sky Castle will get another vegetable.”

If he absorbed the youth’s soul, he would get his memory directly. However, every Wandering Castle was overseen by a peerless expert, and Yang Ling didn’t want to be rash and attack someone inside the castle if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. He didn’t want to violate the Wandering Castle’s rules. After all, even though there were no passersby in the vicinity, there was no way to ascertain that a Supervision Magical Formation Spell wasn’t hidden here, nor to ascertain that a hidden peerless powerhouse wasn’t observing him.

Is this the priceless Moon Soul Stone that contains a vast amount of energy?

When the youth Boll saw the glittering Moon Soul Stone in Yang Ling’s hands, he was stunned. This little piece of Moon Soul Stone could be exchanged for a large number of Black Crystals. It was enough to get the best cleric to treat his mother’s illness, as well as to live out a good life with her. Corolla Great Rift Valley’s Sound Demon possessed terrific power, and anyone that intruded there rashly wouldn’t leave alive. But this was a priceless Moon Soul Stone, and he could take a gamble for it. Plus, those people possessed great power, he might still get a chance to survive if he went, and if he didn’t go, he would probably die here on the spot.

Since Boll had lost his leg several hundred years earlier, his family had struggled. Now, it was on the verge of collapse. He didn’t dare to imagine what his ill mother would go through upon losing her sole supporter.

The clever youth Boll responded quickly, and he made a wise choice. He wore a miserable look and blinked at Yang Ling.

“Don’t even dream about escaping, and don’t hold onto the hope that someone would save you. I have already left a Soul Imprint in your brain, so even if you escape, I can still extinguish your soul instantly up to a hundred miles away. You are a smart person, and you know what you should do. When we reach our destination, this Moon Soul Stone will be given to you.” Yang Ling waved his hand and released the Binding Space. He exchanged words with the youth and they quickly came to an understanding.

It turned out that several hundred years ago, a merchant with unfathomable powers, known as the Sound Demon, arrived in the Starry Sky Castle. He didn’t just sell rare treasures; he also secretly sold the legendary Star Indicators. This success was just a flash in the pan, though, and he shortly left the castle for an unknown reason. He practiced in seclusion in Corolla Great Rift Valley, several hundred miles away, and he would occasionally visit the castle to get some supplies. He came only a few times, and he bought a large number of supplies every time. It seemed like he was doing some experiments, and he spent a large sum of money. He quickly caught the eye of some attentive people.

Boll had acquainted himself with many thieves to secure a livelihood, and he’d secretly helped them sell some booty in the Business Hall. One time, he went with a group of daredevils into Corolla Great Rift Valley, and he kept watch outside. Suddenly, a terrifying sound echoed out of the valley, and the ten robbers with God-Level power that had gone in were wiped out. Boll also suffered a formless attack, and he fell off a steep cliff. He managed to escape this crisis by a fluke, but he still lost his left leg. Several hundred years had passed since then, but Boll’s scalp still went numb every time he thought about it.