Let’s head out.” Desri spoke.
The eleven experts simultaneously flew towards the distant island, all of them extremely cautious. If they could pass through this ninth floor, then…entering the eleventh floor and acquiring a divine spark would be only a stone’s throw away. Nobody wanted to fail on this floor.
The island was very quiet. Linley and the rest of the eleven experts landed on the beach.
“Splash, splash.”
The ocean waves gently rolled into the edges of the beach. The waves would occasionally cover the beach, and occasionally retreat back into the sea. The ocean breeze blew gently, rustling the tall trees, flowers, and grass of the island.
“What a peaceful place.” Rosarie revealed a smile on her face.
“It is quite pretty.” Linley’s group couldn’t sense any danger here on the ninth floor at all.
“Go find the exit.” Fain laughed.
The eleven experts moved towards the interior of the island, beginning to search carefully for the exit to the tenth floor within this place. This island was quite beautiful, and there was even a small mountain in the center of the island. After a long time, the eleven experts climbed onto the mountain.
“We’ve visited all the other places on the island. The exit should be in the mountain.” Linley raised his head to stare at the winding mountain trail.
The mountain trail was quite meandering, but Linley’s group moved very fast, passing through the mountain and the trees like a breezy wind. Soon, they reached the top of the mountain, but as the eleven experts descended upon the top of the mountain, they were all stunned.
In the center of this island, atop the mountain, next to a dwarf tree, there was a wooden house.
In front of the wooden house, there was a stone table and a stone chair.
A handsome, pale-skinned young man dressed in clothes made from leaves and wearing a straw hat was currently sitting on the stone chair. He was enjoying a cup of tea. This scene was very peaceful, but Linley’s group all felt a sense of danger in their hearts. Someone had suddenly appeared here in the ninth floor.
Without question!
This pale-skinned youngster wearing a straw hat was the creature blocking them here in the ninth floor.
“Humans, magical beasts…and a Draconian?” The youngster’s blue eyes glanced at the eleven experts, and his lips curved upwards in a slight, graceful smile. “Let me introduce myself first. My name is Louis [Lu’yi]. Don’t be too nervous, everyone. I don’t have any ill intentions towards you. You can all sit down and have a chat with me. There are stone seats over there.”
Not too far away, there really were a row of stone seats, but the stone seats were all covered with a layer of dust.
“Who is this youngster?” Linley felt curious.
“Are the seats too dirty?” The youngster waved his hand, and a gentle gust of wind arose, lifting up those stone seats, then depositing them in front of Linley’s group. The dust on all of the seats had been blown away. The youngster revealed a brilliant smile. “Now you can all sit.”
“What game is this youngster playing?” Linley and the others felt confused.
Ever since they had entered the Necropolis of the Gods, Linley and his gang had never encountered as strange as this.
Linley’s group exchanged glances.
“Is there perhaps some problem with the seats?” Linley used his spiritual energy to sense them, but the stone seats seemed to be nothing more than ordinary stone seats.
“Sit.” The Six-Eyed Golden Ni-Lions immediately leapt over and crouched on the stone seats.
Linley, Desri, and the others sat down as well.
“Everyone, let’s act according to the situation. If this strange youngster uses some tricks against us, we definitely won’t hold back against him.” Desri said mentally to the other experts.
The eleven experts were in total accord.
The straw hat wearing youngster, Louis, seemed extremely happy. Louis’ clear gaze swept Linley’s group, a hint of mist actually appearing in his eyes. “Ever since I was captured and put here in the Necropolis of the Gods, it has been a very, very long time since I have had the chance to speak with other living creatures.”
“This place is so quiet, it might as well be a graveyard!”
Louis’ eyes had a hint of hatred in them. “Nobody else here. No people to talk with. Even the ocean…doesn’t have so much as a single fish. A dead sea! A lifeless, dead sea! No birds on the island and no animals either! No life at all! Just like a graveyard!”
“Fortunately, you finally came.” Louis’ face revealed a hint of a smile.
The eleven experts all felt rather shocked.
“What is this youngster intending?”
Louis’ laughed loudly. “I know well why you have all come to the Necropolis of the Gods. Don’t overanalyze it. I can tell you right now that I am the obstacle you must overcome on the ninth floor. But I am different from the other guardians. I won’t kill you.”
Linley and the other ten experts felt puzzled.
Won’t kill?
“But the pre-requisite is that you not try to enter the tenth floor.” Louis added.
Louis smiled as he spoke. “I hope you can stay here and chat with me. You won’t enter the tenth floor, and I won’t attack you. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? When the time comes, you will naturally be allowed to leave the Necropolis of the Gods.
Stay and chat with him?
Linley and the other experts somewhat understood. This youngster actually had a plan like this.
Linley’s group was still fairly happy at meeting this sort of obstacle on the ninth floor. At least the opponent wasn’t like the Flame Tyrant, constantly chasing after and trying to kill them. However, to have them all stay here and accompany the youngster wearing a straw hat and wait for the ten year period to come to an end…
This was indeed something Linley’s group couldn’t accept.
“How about this. I’ll stay here and chat with the youngster, while the rest of you enter the tenth floor. Perhaps this youngster will agree.” Desri suddenly mentally transmitted to the other ten experts. Clearly, Desri had decided to sacrifice his own chances. After all, for this youngster to be put here on the ninth floor meant that his power was definitely not as simple as he appeared to be.
Linley, Fain, and Bebe all looked at Desri.
“Louis.” The Blackscale Scorpion, who had been silent this entire time, suddenly spoke. “If I was willing to stay here and keep you company until the ten years are up, would you allow my ten other friends to enter the tenth floor?”
The sudden words of the Blackscale Scorpion caused Linley’s group to be extremely surprised.
“Cannot.” The youngster frowned. “I hope you won’t force me to act. You won’t enter the tenth floor, and I won’t kill you, but if you attempt to enter, then I will be forced to choose to kill you all.”
“Hrm?” Linley and the others frowned.
“I’ve discovered the exit staircase.” Rosarie’s surprised, excited voice rang out in the minds of Linley, Fain, and the other experts. “The exit staircase to the tenth floor is within the woods behind that wooden house. From my location, I can see three steps of the staircase and that black glow.”
“The staircase to the exit?” Linley and the others all felt surprise and joy in their hearts.
Hearing that the location of the staircase had been discovered, they couldn’t help but occasionally glance in that direction as well.
“Oh, you finally noticed the exit?” The youngster smiled. “What is your decision? Will you fight with me, or will you spend a few peaceful days here alongside me?”
“Swish.”
Linley, Fain, and the others all rose at the same time.
Smiling, Desri said, “Louis, we don’t want to fight you. We hope you can let us pass.”
The straw-hat wearing youngster, Louis, continued to smile.
But the rage that had lain silent in his heart for thousands of years was already beginning to rise. He secretly cursed to himself in anger, “These lowly humans really don’t know what’s good for them. I wanted to trick them into staying here, then secretly steal their souls. But now, it seems…”
Linley and the rest of the eleven experts were on their guard, ready to act at any time.
“Bang!” The ‘body’ of Louis suddenly exploded, sending grass and straw everywhere.
A silver light blasted out from Louis’ exploding body, immediately striking towards the person nearest to him, Tulily.