Chapter 490: The Whereabouts of Porter Mason
“Great Monkey!”
“Yes, sir!”
“You are my own… ”
Sean single-handedly wiped out the entire Plainwater Town branch, just like a fierce and ruthless god of death. At this moment, facing Sean’s icy gaze, the only thought in Single Eye’s mind was to stay alive!
As long as he could survive, what need was there for dignity?NôvelDrama.Org © content.
What need for honor?
So!
Without waiting for Sean to speak, Single Eye struggled to sit up, then, without hesitation, he prostrated himself at Sean’s feet, calling him “sir” as if he were his own father!
“Sir, have mercy! Spare my life!” Single Eye’s voice trembled as he said, “As long as sir spares my life, no matter what conditions or requests sir has, I’ll agree to them all!”
“And furthermore!”
“From now on, I am willing to serve as your ox or horse, to be your grandson, to follow sir’s every command. If I show even the slightest disrespect to sir, may I be struck down by the heavens, and I will accept death as my punishment!!”
Obviously!
Single Eye didn’t possess Dasch’s unyielding pride!
Actually, this was not surprising!
As the saying goes, those who are pitiable must have detestable qualities, and vice versa; those who are detestable must have pitiable qualities! In the dark organization of the Hall of Jade, survival always took precedence. A slight slip could lead to an unmarked grave. Single Eye’s rise from a regular member of the Hall of Jade to the position of vice master was surely fraught with countless deceptions and life-and-death struggles!
The rigid easily break!
If Single Eye had even a trace of pride or stubbornness, he probably wouldn’t have survived to this day!
“I don’t lack a grandson like you!”
Sean looked down at Single Eye with disdain and a cold snort. “Answer my question. If there’s even a word of falsehood, I’ll send you on your way immediately.”
At these words!
Single Eye hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously!
“Good!”
“Good, good, good!”
“Sir, you may ask anything. As long as I know, I will not hide anything!”
Sean thought for a moment!
Glancing at the blood-misty grand hall, he asked, “In the North Kingdom’s territory, how many branches like this one are there?”
“Three!”
Single Eye immediately said, “One in Plainwater Town, one in East Tower City, and one in South Broad City!”
After a brief pause!
Single Eye added, “If you insist on counting, the imperial city of the capital is also one. Sir may not know that the ruler of the North Kingdom, Albert Sitwell, is one of the three thousand warlords of the Hall of Jade, so, in fact, the entire North Kingdom is under the control of the Hall of Jade…”
Three!
Let alone the imperial city for now, there are three branches like the one in Plainwater Town within the North Kingdom’s territory alone. It was already such a struggle for Sean to handle this one by himself, let alone the imperial city! After all, in the previous national battle at Hill Riverside, Sean and Lord North fought one-on-one, and within a hundred moves, victory was hard to discern. The realm and strength of Albert Sitwell, ruler of the North Kingdom, were not inferior to Lord North. If Albert Sitwell could also enter a beast-like state like Dasch, coupled with the large formation assistance within the imperial city, it would be difficult for Sean to contend with him!
“What about the Shirine Empire?”
Sean asked again, “Are there any branches of the Hall of Jade within the Shirine Empire’s territory?”
“No!”
Single Eye shook his head and explained, “According to the rules of the Hall of Jade, only when a member ascends to the Bright Realm can they vie for the position of ruler in the Middleland. Once successful, they will establish a branch!”
“On the contrary!”
“If the ruler of a country is not a member of the Hall of Jade, the Hall of Jade will not establish a branch there!”
“So!”
“All the countries with branches are governed by members of the Hall of Jade!”
I see!
Sean remembered that Aunt Sandals had also said that as the largest dark organization in the Middleland, the Hall of Jade treated the Middleland as a massive trial ground, where members of the Hall of Jade fought and struggled, and the strong rose while the weak were eliminated! To prevent the countries not under the control of the Hall of Jade from uniting to resist, the rules of the Hall of Jade were also very strict. If the Shirine Empire had lost in the previous national battle and been invaded by the North Kingdom, then, just like the North Kingdom, a branch of the Hall of Jade should have appeared there soon, too.
No!
Sean felt reassured!
He breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and continued, “Why has the Hall of Jade established so many branches in the Middleland and conducted secret live experiments? What is the purpose behind it?”
“Could it be!”
“Only to induce your transformation into beasts and enhance your realm?”
Training an incredibly powerful army of beastly beings would certainly be awe-inspiring. Yet, Sean couldn’t understand why the Hall of Jade, with the terrifying power of the overall leader, Harmonization, and the Twelve Demons of Confluence, who were already invincible in the Middleland, would need such an army of beasts. It seemed that there must be other secrets, unknown to the public, hidden within this plan!
“This…”
Single Eye looked troubled, shaking his head. “Sir, I’m just an insignificant vice master in the Hall of Jade, merely a pawn, deceiving those pitiful souls at the Complete Stage for them.”
“As for the true purpose of the live experiments…”
“I truly do not know!”
“Don’t just take my word for it, Master Dasch is the same. Lord Steer is the head of the Hall of Jade in nearly a dozen neighboring countries, and both Master Dasch and I act on Lord Steer’s orders!”
“Almost every year or so, Lord Steer sends people to deliver a batch of new venom for us to experiment on these pitiful souls, and then report the data obtained from the experiments…”
Lord Steer!
Hearing this name, Sean couldn’t help but feel a stir inside. Lord Steer was one of the Twelve Demons, a super practitioner of Confluence, and he was Sean’s next target!
“Experimental data?”
Frowning, Sean asked, “Is the success of your experiments, like yours and Dasch’s ability to enter a beast-like state, considered a success?”
“No!”
Single Eye immediately shook his head. “It’s not a success but a failure.”
“According to Lord Steer, the beast-like transformation is actually a side effect of these experiments. The Ten Needles represent a stage; failing to endure it will result in death. Even if one endures the Ten Needles and the beast-like transformation occurs, it is considered a failure. However, they won’t die, and their strength will increase!”
“As you’ve seen, this increase in strength is only temporary and not long-lasting, only useful in emergencies, for unexpected needs!”
“Moreover!”
“Once transformed, it means they have completely forfeited their hopes of progressing in their practice. Their realm and strength will forever remain at this stage, and they will never be able to make further breakthroughs!”
Upon hearing this, Sean’s face showed a ripple!
This was truly a case of quenching one’s thirst with poison!
Whether it was someone like Single Eye at the Complete Stage or Dasch, who was close to the Bright Realm, although they were luckier than the King of Night, enduring the first stage allowed them to control the beast-like state at will, but in the process, they had forfeited their future and their path of cultivation had come to an end!
Sean remembered that the King of Night had said that he had shown signs of transformation after only enduring the fourth needle. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to escape, there would have been no way out for him!
Transformation meant failure, which was consistent with the King of Night’s account!
Single Eye continued, “Only those who endure the Ten Needles without showing any signs of transformation can be considered successful in the first stage of the experiment. Successful individuals will be taken away by Lord Steer, and we will receive some rewards!”
“As for what Lord Steer has them do after they are taken away, I do not know. I assume they are subjected to the second stage of the experiment…”
The second stage!
Just as Sean suspected, the so-called army of beastly beings was not the Hall of Jade’s true objective. They were going to great lengths with these experiments for a greater purpose!
“Are there many successful individuals?”
Sean asked curiously, “How many people can complete the first stage of the experiment?”
“Not many!”
Single Eye said awkwardly, “Very few, you could say one in a hundred, or even one in a thousand. I’ve been at the Plainwater Town branch for nearly ten years, and I’ve only seen off eight successful individuals!”
“Among them, five were lured from within the North Kingdom’s territory, and three were abducted from neighboring countries!”
Oh??
Sean was taken aback, and he asked, “Were there people from the Shirine Empire?”
“Yes!”
Single Eye nodded and said, “Only one, named… ”
“Named Mason!!!”