Chapter 477: Chapter 43: The True Second Generation Soldier
Two days and one night have passed since the opening of the Ancient Heroic Tomb.
In the Ancient Hero Square, after experiencing the bustle of the first day, as days went by, life in Five Saints Town seemed to have returned to its usual rhythm, except for the occasional mercenary who would unwillingly look up at the distant Sky Dragon Palace.
Those mercenaries without the ability to enter the Sky Dragon Palace resumed accepting missions. For safety reasons, the Ancient Hero Statue Square was temporarily sealed off by the Mercenary Branch, and tourists and locals were banned from that area.
As a result, nobody noticed that on the day following Yue Jinghua and the others’ entry into the Dragon Palace, there were several instances of strange shadows sweeping across the sky.
On this night, since it was the fifteenth, the moon in the sky was big and round, casting the silhouette of the Dragon Palace clearly on the ground.
The members of the Mercenary Inspection Team, as usual, patrolled the nearby area like they always did.
At this time, they noticed a shadow that was rapidly approaching the Dragon Palace.
"Look, that’s Sky Sail," the mercenaries said as they looked up at the sky.
Indeed, in the ashen sky, a triangular Sky Sail swooshed across from the east end of the horizon like a shooting star.
Members of the Inspection Team intended to send out a warning signal, but just then, a distinctive marking on the triangular Sky Sail shimmered under the moonlight.
"Long Ji, it’s Dragon Knight Mercenary Corps’ Sky Sail," the members of the Inspection Team rubbed their eyes, and when they confirmed without a doubt that the mark on the sail was Dragon Knight’s, they all rushed to the Five Saint Mercenary Branch.
In the sky, on the small and exquisite Sky Sail, with sails made of moon-white rhino hide, stood three mercenaries.
Among them, one woman and two men, appeared to be in their thirties to forties, with the male and female mercenaries flanking the central figure, a young male mercenary with short hair.
Wearing a silver tiger helmet, Crystal crossbow, Gale boots, and Strength Ape bracelets, any single piece of equipment on the young mercenary would be the envy of others his age.
Behind them, on the sailboat which was flapping loudly in the night breeze, a Dragon Horn Flying Horse adorned with golden harnesses was emblazoned on the sails.
The mercenary corps that uses the Dragon Horn Flying Horse as their emblem, there’s only one on the continent.
That is the Legendary Mercenary Group, Dragon Knight.
On the continent, Mercenary Groups are categorized from low to high into one, two, three, four, and five stars. Above the five stars are the five Super Mercenary Groups, and above the Five-star Mercenary Groups are the Legendary Mercenary Groups.
Yue Jinghua once stayed with the "Rebellion" Mercenary Group, which was originally a Five-star Mercenary Group. After the incident with Blue Crystal Mercenary Group, Rebellion took advantage of the situation to ascend into one of the five Super Mercenary Groups.
But, even as a Super Mercenary Group, they still had to bow before the Legendary Mercenary Group, Dragon Knight.
Dragon Knight Mercenary Group is a legend in the Mercenary World.
Its legend lies not only in the fact that it has just three members. Among these three, even the weakest in Cultivation is at the Dan Realm, the Mercenary Strongman Luo Ri, who wields the Ice Snow Storm Axe.
The other two members’ strength is astounding, one of them being Bo Sai, one of the Top Ten Strongest on the Continent and Mercenary King, who not only has condensed a Holy Pill but is also a peerless powerhouse who has realized the mysteries of "Domain".
The final member of Dragon Knight, Mi Xia, is the only female and her Cultivation has also broken through Dan Realm, although she has yet to condense a Holy Pill.
Yet even without having condensed the Holy Pill, Mi Xia’s strength is not to be underestimated, for she is a Cultivator, and legend has it that her mount is a rare Emperor Green Dragon on the continent.
After fusing with the strength of the Emperor Green Dragon, Mi Xia’s combat ability is rumored to surpass that of the Mercenary Strongman Luori.
It is precisely because of such strength that the Dragon Knight Mercenary Group has been able to stand tall in the Mercenary World for many years with the special treatment afforded to its mere three members.
Having risen to fame for more than thirty years, the Dragon Knight Mercenary Group remains unshaken in its status despite the fierce annual competition in the Mercenary Guild’s assessments and despite the changing ranks of the Five Super Mercenaries.
In the Mercenary World, the Dragon Knight is the epitome of excellence.
Therefore, upon learning that the Dragon Knight’s exclusive Sky Sail was heading towards the Sky Dragon Palace, members of the Five Saints Mercenary Inspection Team rushed to the Five Saints Branch in a panic.
However, by the time Luo Lin led her mercenaries there, the Dragon Knight’s Sky Sail had already landed atop the Sky Dragon Palace.
Luo Lin gritted her teeth and instructed a mercenary: "Go and ask Helen to come over to confirm the matter regarding the Dragon Knight’s Sky Sail."
Above the heights of ten thousand meters, an ambitious young man was the first to descend from the arriving craft.
"Uncle Li, this is the Sky Dragon Palace? Hmph, it’s nothing special. I thought the Dragon Slayer Hero Mo Kang would be more impressive. Compared to our family, he’s nothing," said the well-equipped young man with an arrogant face, thin features, and a hint of frivolity flashing in his triangular eyes.
If calling the Second Generation Soldiers, initiated by Compass, a clownish joke in the Mercenary World, then this young man, escorted by two family elders, would be a true Second Generation Soldier.
His name is Luo Yun, nineteen years old, one of Dragon Knight Mercenary Group members’ only son, the Mercenary Strongman Luo Ri, and also a newly minted Four-star Mercenary.
This Sky Sail, branded with the mark of the Dragon Knight, didn’t carry the three Legendary Mercenaries on their journey.
A single Dragon Slayer Hero is not enough to attract the joint presence of three great mercenaries.
Yet it was enough to draw Luo Yun, who two years prior, had left home to gain experience on his father’s orders.
As an outstanding mercenary, Luo Ri had painstakingly imparted his entire set of Ice Snow Storm Axes to his son and had found two Mystic Strong protectors to be his guardians.
Only after ensuring everything was prepared did he let his son officially join the ranks of the mercenary cultivation, and with the help of the two Mystic Strong protectors, Luo Yun smoothly became a Four-star Mercenary.
But he was not content. In his eyes, if his father was one of the strongest in the Mercenary World, he too must become at least a Five-star Mercenary, as his contemporary from the Dragon Knight Mercenary Group, Bo Sai’s only son Bo Dong, had become a Five-star Mercenary Strongman.
And it was rumored that Bo Dong would also participate in the upcoming Xuyang Trial.
From childhood, Luo Yun and Bo Dong had been the focus of comparison by outsiders, whether in terms of cultivation or appearance, Bo Sai’s only son Bo Dong left Luo Yun far behind.
So upon hearing that the Ancient Hero Treasure might be unearthed in the Five Saints Town, Luo Yun, harboring the desire to defeat Bo Dong in the Xuyang Trial, immediately set off to Five Saints Town with his two trusted aides.
"Young Master Yun, Mo Kang is but a hero in name only, how can he compare to the master. However, the master did mention that Mo Kang’s tomb might contain the Dragon Slayer Holy Armor he used in his lifetime. Our purpose is to seize that Dragon Slayer Holy Armor, to ensure you are fully prepared for the Xuyang Trial," said the two Mystic Strong protectors as they gathered their energy, shattering the Dark Energy Wall at the entrance of the Sky Dragon Palace.
With the arrival of the Second Generation Soldier Luo Yun from the Dragon Knight, the situation at the Sky Dragon Palace quietly shifted.