Chapter 125: The Law Stone [Please Subscribe!]

Xiong Dabiao thought about it and agreed, "Then let the three of us who are at Tier 6 go and take a look."

After some consideration, Xiong Dabiao, Lu Sheng, and Zhuo Lei decided to go and investigate together. The rest of the group followed Zhang Tiandao to leave the area. They headed toward their originally planned destination, while Lu Sheng and his two companions made their way toward the dungeon.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the dungeon's perimeter and entered. With a flicker of consciousness, Lu Sheng found himself inside the dungeon, which contained Law Stones. It was a world of extreme heat, with the ground beneath his feet glowing a dark, dull red. Regardless of where one enters a dungeon, everyone always arrives at the same entrance.

At this moment, the area was crowded. Looking out, one could see many people locked in a fierce battle with a type of red-skinned monster. Floating in the center of a dense cluster of these monsters was a red stone. The stone was crystal clear, roughly the size of a fist, and emanated a faint halo of light. Beside the stone stood several elderly-looking monsters with white hair on their heads and white beards on their chins—features that the other monsters in the fray lacked.

Lu Sheng stared at the stone and asked, "Is that the Law Stone?"

Xiong Dabiao’s eyes gleamed with intensity. "That’s right, that is a Law Stone, though it’s a pity it’s fire-attributed."

Lu Sheng was aware of this; fire-attributed Law Stones could only be absorbed by fire-attributed monsters. Even so, its immense value remained undeniable.

"Enough talk, let’s charge in before any accidents occur," Lu Sheng said, already launching his attack.

Currently, he was only using a clone; his true self was back at Mount Tiantan, working on improving the quality of his monsters. But even as a clone, Lu Sheng felt that clearing this dungeon would be no problem at all. Seeing Lu Sheng move, Xiong Dabiao and Zhuo Lei did not hesitate to join in. The dungeon held more than just that one Law Stone; the monsters themselves could drop Law Stones upon death. Any Law Stone dropped by a monster was attribute-less and could be absorbed by any creature. However, only Tier 6 monsters dropped them. In their view, only the three elderly red-skinned monsters were Tier 6, while the others were at most Tier 5.

Lu Sheng, however, did not care about the attributes of the Law Stones. He only worried that there weren't enough of them. He had plenty of fire-attributed monsters, and a single stone wouldn't even be enough to go around. Summoning ten Tier 6 monsters, Lu Sheng began to sweep through the area.

The Flame Werewolf Leader fired a massive fireball; even if these monsters had some immunity to fire damage, the sheer explosive force was more than they could withstand. Monsters hit by it were instantly torn apart. The Flame Bear-Wolf roared as it charged, and any monster that stood in its way was swatted to death with a single strike. The Sword-Legged Spider’s sword-qi attacks easily decapitated monsters or sliced them in half. As for the giant beasts like the Desert Giant and the Giant Crocodile, there was no need to elaborate—they simply plowed through everything.

Lu Sheng let his subordinates charge for a while, and a path straight to the center was carved out by sheer force. Xiong Dabiao and Zhuo Lei stood in the back, stunned. They looked at each other and offered bitter smiles. "Are we just here to watch?"

Tier 6... all the monsters Lu Sheng summoned were Tier 6! The two men abandoned any thought of competing for the Law Stones. The disparity in strength was too great; even if they wanted to snatch them, they couldn't. So, they simply watched Lu Sheng work.

Lu Sheng paid them no mind. He had to secure the Law Stones; they were crucial for the growth of his subordinates, so how could he not care? Soon, he reached the three elderly red-skinned monsters. Despite their aged appearance, their bodies were packed with robust, well-defined muscles.

The three monsters panicked when they saw the wave of Tier 6 creatures descending upon them, but they didn't forget to fight back. They unleashed massive fireballs toward the Flame Bear-Wolf and the others. A giant water cannon slammed into the fireballs, but unfortunately, this was the fire-elemental home turf; the power of the water cannon was no match for the fireballs.

However, there were more than just water cannons here. Fireballs, sword-qi, and walls of earth rose from the ground, intercepting the monsters' projectiles until their energy was completely exhausted. They exploded midway, with only stray sparks falling harmlessly to the ground.

The Flame Bear-Wolf, the Sword-Legged Spider, and the others showed no mercy. They charged and launched a brutal assault. The Flame Bear-Wolf swiped, but the "Flame Red-Man"—as Lu Sheng identified them after checking the dropped cards—dodged, leaving a crater in the ground instead. But even if they dodged the Wolf, there were multiple attacks waiting. Earth spikes controlled by the Soil-Armor Beetle shot toward them in rapid succession. Three missed, but one grazed the waist of a Flame Red-Man. If it had pierced through, the creature would have been dead.

The Desert Giant and the Giant Crocodile arrived, their massive forms exerting immense pressure. The three Flame Red-Men felt a chill. Why were there so many Tier 6 monsters!? They realized what it meant to be truly overwhelmed. Counterattack? They were lucky if they could dodge the barrage of attacks; a counterattack was completely impossible. If they paused for even a second, a hail of attacks would force them to move. But even as they retreated, countless attacks pursued them.

In a short while, they were covered in wounds. Blood flowed from their skin—the only difference between the blood and their dark red, earthy skin was its brighter, vibrant hue. The three old monsters panted heavily, unable to withstand the siege any longer. Lu Sheng, of course, gave them no chance to breathe, ordering his subordinates to maintain the offensive.

Under the relentless bombardment, the three monsters had no room to rest. Facing such a desperate situation, they met their end, crushed by Lu Sheng’s human-wave tactics. Even though one of them was at the late stage of Tier 6, quantity usually triumphs among peers of the same tier. The three Tier 6 Flame Red-Men were wiped out on the spot under the concentrated firepower.

Two cards and a white Law Stone emerged from their remains. The cards were Fireball Cards, which could summon a fireball with Tier 6 power. The white stone was an attribute-less Law Stone, which could be absorbed by any law. After collecting the spoils, Lu Sheng retrieved the fire-attributed Law Stone from the center. Xiong Dabiao and Zhuo Lei watched with envy; in all their years, they hadn't collected many Law Stones, yet Lu Sheng had secured two in one go.

The others fighting the Flame Red-Men were shocked by Lu Sheng's actions. Even though the average strength in this wilderness was high, one person commanding so many Tier 6 monsters was unheard of. Not even the local overlords could easily achieve this. A Tier 6 monster was not a trivial thing; they held status wherever they went. It was doubtful if any single faction in the area even had ten Tier 6 monsters, yet this man had them in hand.

People were curious about Lu Sheng’s identity, but no matter how they searched their memories, they could not recall anyone like him. Some soon guessed that he must be an outsider, which was common enough, so they didn't dwell on it.

After securing the stones, Lu Sheng left with Xiong Dabiao and Zhuo Lei. Just as they departed, an elite squad entered the dungeon. They looked toward the center and saw the path of destruction and the empty space, causing their leader to frown. "Go grab someone and ask what happened. This Law Dungeon is within the territory of our Heavenly Feather Sect; it’s not for just anyone to take."

His subordinates soon brought someone over, and the leader quickly learned the truth. "Ten Tier 6 monsters..." The leader fell into deep thought. A powerful dragon had arrived. Finding him would be easy—they just needed to watch for any newcomers making a splash in the region. But he didn't want to provoke such strength; they couldn't afford to tangle with ten Tier 6 monsters. Law Stones could be found again, but life could not. "Let’s go. The items are gone; there’s no point in staying."

The squad entered and left with impressive speed. After exiting the dungeon, the three men caught up with their main group. Only five minutes had passed since they entered; Lu Sheng had finished the battle so quickly that the main group hadn't gone very far.

Zhang Tiandao looked at the returning trio curiously. "Why are you back so soon? No luck?"

Xiong Dabiao cast a resentful glance at Lu Sheng, gesturing for him to answer. Zhang Tiandao laughed, "Hahaha, I should have just let Lu Sheng go alone; you two were just there to watch."

In the group, Xiong Zijie approached Lu Sheng curiously. "Brother Lu, how was it? Did you get any Law Stones? Let me have a look!"

Lu Sheng extended his hand, and the two Law Stones appeared on his palm. "See for yourself."

The stones were quite large, filling his palm. Xiong Zijie stared at the glowing stones with intense longing, wishing they were his. "These are beautiful, though they don't look much different from regular glowing rocks." He quickly composed himself, taking a deep breath. "Brother Lu, put them away. I’m afraid I might try to snatch them if I look too long."

Lu Sheng smiled and stowed them away. They did look like ordinary glowing stones, but they contained immense power. Monsters needed to absorb the laws within to strengthen themselves. Of course, Lu Sheng could also absorb them himself.

The three Law Columns inside the Space-Time Ant were already quite thick and long; he didn't know how many Law Stones it would take to upgrade to the second level. He also didn't know if he needed to upgrade all three columns or just one. If it were all three, his workload would be immense. Others’ first level was only one meter, but his was already two meters despite having just reached the first stage of Tier 6. He didn't know how tall they needed to be to complete the first level and give birth to the second column. It was a headache just to think about it; the number of Law Stones required would be astronomical. And since he needed to improve three types of laws, he could mostly only rely on attribute-less Law Stones. That was another difficult problem.

However, Lu Sheng wasn't overly anxious. If push came to shove, he would focus on improving his other monsters first, then use them to raise his own level.

Additionally, Lu Sheng had cleared up a matter yesterday: the benefits of monster quality at Tier 6. The higher the quality, the faster the comprehension of laws, and the less waste occurred during absorption. For instance, with a fire-attributed Law Stone, a blue-quality monster would waste 70% of the energy, while a purple-quality monster would only waste 60%. With the same resources, higher-quality monsters grew stronger much faster.

Lu Sheng planned to use the fire-attributed Law Stone to cultivate the White-Flame Blue-Scaled Bird. It was a flying monster, relatively rare and of high value. Furthermore, Law Stones had their own tiers. The two he held were low-grade; they didn't contain high-level laws. According to Xiong Dabiao, once one reached Tier 8, these low-grade stones became useless because the laws within were too basic. Laws were categorized; Tier 6 and 7 were primary laws, while Tier 8 and above were intermediate. This was based on the strength of the laws. Once one reached Tier 8, their internal laws underwent a qualitative change, allowing them to crush Tier 6 and 7 laws, hence the "intermediate" designation. This was all information Xiong Dabiao had shared the previous night; he didn't know much beyond that, having picked up this knowledge by chance.

The group continued moving, and by noon, they finally reached the safe zone of District 13. They needed to report to the local administrators. If such a large group simply occupied territory, it would lead to conflict. Therefore, notifying the authorities and finding out which areas were unclaimed was essential. Of course, if one felt strong enough, they could simply seize land without fear of trouble.

After the group of ten thousand arrived, some people began to leave, but after the long journey, the "Hero Stronghold," originally seven thousand strong, had grown by another thousand, reaching eight thousand. Zhang Tiandao, Xiong Dabiao, Lu Sheng, and Zhuo Lei followed a map to find the ruling faction to negotiate for a place to settle, even if it meant paying a price.

They soon arrived at a main city; the Heavenly Feather Sect was the ruling power here. The Sect Master and Deputy Master were both Tier 7 existences, making them a formidable force in District 13. The four men were quickly granted an audience. A man in armor sat on a high chair, and the four were seated on chairs on either side.

Wu Yongchang spoke first: "My subordinates told me you migrated from the neighboring District 21 and are looking for a plot of land, is that correct?"

Xiong Dabiao replied, "Correct. I wonder if Master Wu could do us a favor? These ten Tier 5 spirit fruits are a token of our gratitude."

A trace of imperceptible contempt flickered in Wu Yongchang’s eyes. Tier 5 spirit fruits? Was he trying to dismiss a beggar? But he didn't show it, instead saying, "Keep the gifts. As fellow survivors in this chaotic world, helping each other is only right, but..."

Xiong Dabiao had hoped there were no conditions, but the "but" confirmed his suspicions. "Whatever requirements you have, Master Wu, just say the word. If it’s within our power, we won't refuse."

Wu Yongchang leaned in. "Since you are so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush. This matter is a mixed bag for you. There is a monster race in the east of my safe zone that is expanding rapidly. Every time I send troops to surround them, they retreat into their territory. Within their own territory, their combat power is greatly enhanced, so I haven't been able to wipe them out. But if I leave them be, they come out to hunt people in the safe zone. I want to give you that land. That way, you’ll have a place to settle, and I won't have to worry about that area. You already know the benefits—the Law Stones dropped by those monsters are one of them. If you can eliminate the entire race, I believe your harvest will be substantial. What do you think?"

Wu Yongchang was blunt about the pros and cons. Xiong Dabiao didn't agree immediately. He was tempted; as for the Tier 7 monsters, he believed Zhang Tiandao and Lu Sheng could handle them. But he didn't want to seem too eager, as that would make them easy to bully. Though he didn't fear the sect, he didn't want to start a conflict right now.

Wu Yongchang smiled. "If you don't want the land, then I’m sorry. Unless you can provide one Law Stone to me every month, you’ll have to find somewhere else."

Seeing that Wu Yongchang had laid down an ultimatum, Xiong Dabiao said, "Since you put it that way, I have nothing more to say. We’ll take the land."

Wu Yongchang laughed. "Good. It’s yours. Manage it well."