Village Head's Debauchery

As they began to stir up the spiritual energy around them, they triggered the formation of several Spirit Wells, which slowly emerged in the landscape.

'No wonder they could gain the approval of a King,' Kun'lin gulped, unable to stop herself from trembling.

As a formidable 200,000-year-old Duke, she couldn't eliminate a newly ascended Duke with a single strike. At this moment, any plans of attempting to forcefully get the information regarding the Seven-Headed Hydra if the negotiation failed were erased from her mind.

She had even considered leaving the items for the negotiation with them.

The white, furry-eared, mysterious woman in a loose black robe with grey embellishments stared at Orion and his wives with a narrowed gaze, filled with shock and surprise that were hidden beneath it.

She and several others had similar thoughts to Kun'lin's. They all desired to build a good relationship with this formidable force.

Orion received word from the other groups, confirming the successful completion of their missions. According to their reports, all targets had been eliminated.

They had uncovered that only two among them were avatars. Still, it didn't change the mission's result.

Without a word, Orion dispelled his lightning. He found no reason to repeat himself and continued to stare ahead in silence.

The atmosphere remained still.

After a few minutes, several streaks of light shot across the sky and materialised into eight towering figures in front of them.

The first was a 2,800-meter-long skeletal Phoenix, with trails of flame burning backwards from its wings.

The second was a colossal 3,200-meter-tall Ox, its black hide laced with veins of magma. Thick grey smoke poured from its nostrils with every breath, and molten hoofprints smouldered beneath it.

The third was a 4,200-meter-long, emerald Panther, with emerald lightning streaking along its sides. Its tails were split into three, each crackling with arcs of electricity.

The fourth was a shocking 5,000-meter-long Drake, with massive skeletal wings, pale grey scales covering its body, and three jagged, horned spikes protruding from its skull.

The fifth was a 4,900-meter Swan, its pure white feathers radiating a gentle, divine light.

The sixth was a 5,100-meter-long Scorpion with a blood-red exoskeleton. Its tail twitched rhythmically, causing space itself to ripple with each movement. Multiple compound eyes glowed crimson as they glared at Orion and his group.

The seventh was a 6,000-meter-tall four-tusked Mammoth, with mysterious glowing runes etched into its trunk and legs.

And the eighth was a herculean 5,500-meter-tall Monkey with shimmering golden fur. His eyes glowed with golden-red rings, silently observing the group.

They were all Dukes. Each one more formidable than the previous spirit beasts that had emerged. Several of them even rivalled or surpassed Kun'lin and some of the other spirit beasts who had been hiding their true strength behind.

Orion sensed that a few among them were on the verge of evolving into the Royal Prince/Princess rank. He couldn't help but frown. By now, he strongly suspected that the ones still observing in secret were already at the Royal Prince's rank, yet none of them had stepped forward.

How cautious could they be? Didn't they realise this was a once-in-a-lifetime event?

If they failed to step forward now, they might lose this opportunity forever.

Orion began to wonder if, perhaps, he had scared them off with his earlier display of power. Spirit beasts who had survived for hundreds of thousands of years would never gamble their lives recklessly unless they were absolutely sure they could retreat unharmed.

He had expected them to be bold, proud, and arrogant, but it seemed that sort of attitude only applied to a rare few.

Even so, this was a sobering reminder of the dangers of the Spirit Realm. Had he not advanced to this level of power, he wouldn't have dared to provoke such a confrontation. Fortunately, he had obtained the strength to do so.

Seeing the towering spirit beasts silently watching them, Orion gestured for the three women to follow him as he ascended into the sky. Once they hovered just slightly above the spirit beasts' height, he stopped.

Orion and the three women stared down at them.

The spirit beasts returned their gaze, unlike the previous group, not one uttered a word. Instead, they studied Orion and his companions with a solemn gaze, trying to decipher the mystery behind their strength.

Finally, Orion broke the silence. "Are you here to take the binding oath to protect this territory for the next eight months?"

"Taking a binding oath is no small matter," the radiant swan responded. "We've come to discuss whether there are alternative ways to obtain the information."

"We understand your dissatisfaction with how your territory was treated during your absence," the pale-scaled, skeletal drake added. His pale, glowing eyes stared up at them. "We are confident that any loss you suffered can be repaid tenfold. Wouldn't a trade of resources be more reasonable than a binding oath?"

Orion shook his head in response. "I've made my decision. Whoever wants to obtain the information regarding the King's aura must take a binding oath to protect this territory and its residents for eight months," he said firmly.

The reason he had established such a rule was simple. Spirit beasts were better suited to handling matters within the Spirit Realm that Paradise was, especially until they could devise a more reliable way to protect those who had already sworn allegiance to Paradise.

This measure would reduce the risk of them encountering threats that might force them to retreat from the Spirit Realm, as had happened before.

Orion also hoped to gather more information about the Spirit Realm, especially since they were still only within the middle layer. He wanted to learn whether any forces or individuals from the Material Realm had managed to enter and survive in this realm.

With the looming destruction of the Material Realm due to the Vylkr vines, the spawns, and other related entities, aside from the secret dimensions the bizarre divine mysteries had informed them of, there had to be some who had used Spiritual Link points to flee to safety in the Spirit Realm.

If he found any, he didn't mind inviting them to Paradise. After all, surviving in the Spirit Realm for an extended period under its harsh restrictions meant they likely possessed remarkable talent, which was worth nurturing.

And if he didn't find any? It would still have been worthwhile.

"However," Orion continued, "if you don't wish to take the binding oath yourselves, there's another way."

"What is it, then?" asked the three-tailed emerald panther, her tone sharp with impatience. Her slitted eyes narrowed at Orion.

"Rather than taking the oath yourself, as long as you can get one hundred Earls, 50 Marquis, or another Duke, to take the binding oath in your place, I'll freely give you the information you seek," Orion replied, with a slight smile brightened his expression, as if he had reconsidered their earlier offer and was now giving them the best deal possible.

The atmosphere instantly shifted.

It was clear Orion's words had caught them completely off guard.

And not just them. Neither party had suppressed the contents of their conversation, so each sentence echoed clearly across the entire area. As a result, every spirit beast present was stunned by what they had just heard.

"What the heck? Is he making a demand or asking for a ransom?" said a spirit beast from behind.

These words resonated in everyone's mind.

At the same time, several spirit beasts tried to quietly slip away from the gathering. However, the moment they attempted to do so, they realised the space around them had solidified, trapping them in place.

They couldn't even shift through the fabric of space.

The others soon noticed this as well.

"What's the meaning of this?! Aren't we allowed to move freely again?"

"Damn it! What gives you the right to imprison us? Are you really going to comply with his demand?"

As some spirit beasts voiced their frustration, others remained silent, observing the situation from the rear. The spatial seal wasn't strong enough to restrain everyone, only the weaker ones at the Earl rank, who were already frightened by Orion's terms.

Suddenly, several streaks of light shot in from the distance.

The beams materialised into six figures. Perhaps realising that revealing their true spirit beast forms wouldn't intimidate Orion's group, or maybe simply to save space, the six were in their humanoid forms.

There were three men and three women. They appeared before Orion and scrutinised him and those beside him.

Observing the scene, Orion calmly rose higher into the sky. Without any signal, the woman beside him followed suit, halting slightly above the newcomers.

"Much better. The tone of this discussion should be made clear from the beginning," Orion muttered. His words were only audible to his wives, who chuckled inwardly.

Orion sensed the auras of the newcomers. They were all Duke-ranked, no weaker than the others already present. He was dissapointed that no Royal Princes had yet to take the risk of appearing.