Chapter 671 - 665: Rescue Operation
The enormity of Pantheon was beyond Lin You’s imagination.
Not only did the city district cover the entire land as far as the eye could see, but even the surrounding hundreds of kilometers were dotted with territories of various sizes.
These territories were interconnected, forming bustling suburbs and a large transport network.
The sky above the city was filled with flying mounts and mechanical patrol units.
And at the deepest part of Pantheon, a majestic structure towered into the clouds, surrounded by numerous flying squads.
It goes without saying, that was where the headquarters of the Pantheon was located.
To avoid drawing attention, Lin You chose not to fly directly into the city but landed outside the city gates. He restrained his aura, blended into the crowd, and entered the city with them.
"I heard the Pantheon recently had a tense confrontation with the Demon King Army, and many have died."
"Indeed, never have we seen the Demon King Army attack like this before. They even sent out the Four Great Demon Generals."
"Alas, who knows when this will end? I can’t even go over there to gather resources."
"It’s likely to continue for quite some time. Might as well head somewhere else, like the Soul-Devouring Swamp to the west, where there are plenty of low-tier insect-type demons."
The discussions from other lords nearby continuously reached Lin You’s ears, prompting him to shift his gaze.
With the conflict intense, the Pantheon must be internally depleted, having sent all their experts out. Perhaps this was his chance to infiltrate the Pantheon headquarters and rescue his target.
Of course.
Before taking action, gathering more intelligence would be necessary.
Otherwise, he might encounter anyone above Tier Thirteen and land himself in trouble.
After all, according to the roster, the Pantheon had eight Tier Thirteen lords, and encountering any one of them could spell disaster for him.
"Quickly, the Pantheon seems to have captured some incredible creature. Hurry over and check it out!"
At this moment, a shout suddenly erupted not far away, interrupting Lin You’s thoughts.
The Pantheon captured a creature?
He looked around perplexedly, noticing a large number of lords moving towards the same direction, instantly causing the street to become lively.
Lin You wouldn’t miss any information regarding the Pantheon. After a brief pause, he followed the crowd to the other end of the street, where he saw a prison carriage draped in black cloth slowly approaching.
"This is..."
Suddenly, Lin You’s eyes narrowed.
Even from standing at the back of the crowd, he could sense the terrifying aura emanating from behind the black cloth.
With his naked eye, he could see a blood-soaked aura spreading out, encompassing the entire massive cage, making people reluctant to get close.
Whether it was by chance or deliberate, a sudden breeze lifted a corner of the black cloth.
With just one glance, Lin You saw a pair of deep crimson eyes and an enormous body inside the cage, like a prehistoric beast in hibernation.
"Pfft!"
Suddenly, several lower-tier lords nearby met those eyes and coughed up blood, causing chaos.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Soul-Seeking appeared beside Lin You, releasing a flurry of dandelion seeds that drifted towards the cage on the breeze.
The dandelion seeds of Soul-Seeking possessed tracking effects.
Finding out the creature’s place of confinement might also lead to locating the Ten Thousand Realms Emperor accurately.
At this moment, every lord on the street had at least one species accompanying them, so the appearance of Soul-Seeking did not attract much attention.
After completing this task, Lin You turned and left, heading into the city while observing everything around him.
Pantheon indeed deserved to be the center of the entire Pantheon-controlled region.
The bustling atmosphere was unlike that of the remote small towns such as Demon Suppression City.
The streets were filled with loud cries and bizarre species mounts, occasionally even encountering lords above Tier Ten.
For this reason, every street was built incredibly wide, with no sense of crowding.
Thinking for a moment, Lin You summoned a Legendary-level Ancient Tree, sat on its shoulder, and continued his journey.
Yet even so, he still attracted a copious amount of attention.
"A Legendary-level Ancient War Tree!"
"Such a colossal species, this must be at least Tier Ten, right?"
"More than that! I have a skill that can probe two levels up but still can’t discern its information!"
"What the heck! So it’s Tier Twelve??"
"That person is actually a lord at the Quasi-God Level!?"
The crowd was in an uproar, staring unblinkingly at the Ancient Tree Venerable and Lin You on its shoulder.
A Tier Twelve Quasi-God level expert was a supreme being within the entire Pantheon, not something one could casually encounter.
To know that such a level was already called "god," one step further would allow one to create a realm and become its ruler.
No wonder they were so shocked and excited.
But Lin You paid them no mind. Following a note in his hand, he traversed through various streets until he arrived at a rundown tavern in an alleyway within the Outer City District.
This was the address left for him by Bai Shangting, a place where his faction planted their forces to gather intelligence.
To have extended their reach into Pantheon, Bai Shangting’s faction was indeed extraordinary, likely not much weaker than the Pantheon itself.
"You’re here?"
Just as he was thinking, the door opened, and a sneaky-looking little old man poked his head out.
They had just exchanged the password, so there was no need for much conversation. They nodded at each other, and Lin You passed through the ajar door, walking into the tavern.
The next second.
Several sharp gazes fell upon him, scanning him from head to toe.
When they sensed the aura emanating from him, their expressions changed, and they all withdrew their gazes.
Lin You glanced at them. Some were tavern attendants, others patrons, but aside from a few genuinely drinking, the rest were pretending.
"This way, please."
The little old man turned his head to say and led the way forward.
Just as they reached the depths of the tavern, laughter suddenly erupted.
"Haha, dear friend, you’ve come from afar and I failed to welcome you properly, please forgive me."
Along with the voice, a well-dressed middle-aged man appeared, approaching with a smile.
"And you are?" Lin You stopped in his tracks, surprisedly scrutinizing the arrival.
The opponent’s power was actually equivalent to his own, both being Tier Twelve, and reaching the Level 6 Quasi-God stage.
In such a shabby tavern, could there really be someone of this level hidden?
What kind of power is behind this Bai Shangting?
"Let me introduce myself first. I am Shen Sikong, the external steward of the Godslaying Alliance, specifically responsible for stationed affairs in Pantheon City. You must be Brother Lin You mentioned by Bai Shangting?"
Godslaying Alliance?
What a straightforward name.
To have a name like that and still station within the Pantheon’s sphere of influence, their power isn’t just massive, it’s like they’re directly challenging the Pantheon.
This made him even more curious about the force.
"Yes, that’s me. Bai Shangting should have already told you the details, right?"
When Bai Shangting conveyed the message, they didn’t reveal that he came from the Ten Thousand Realms, just that he was someone who bore a grudge against the Pantheon and wanted their help to exact revenge.
The saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Upon learning that Lin You had the power of a Tier Twelve, the Godslaying Alliance was naturally delighted and immediately agreed to his request.
Which led to the current scenario.
"Since our goals align, I shall boldly call you Younger Brother Lin, and if you don’t mind, you can call me Brother Shen."
Shen Sikong was evidently a talkative person, immediately drawing closer to Lin You with his words.
"Then I’ll trouble Brother Shen to lead the way."
Lin You nodded silently, without saying more.
Then, under Shen Sikong’s guidance, he walked through a dim passage.
Amidst a cacophony of sounds, they suddenly arrived at a large tavern on the other side of a bustling street.
"This is the Godslaying Alliance’s station in Pantheon City, also our place for open negotiations with the Pantheon, so there’s no need to worry about Pantheon members barging in to search."
Shen Sikong’s voice timely sounded.
Lin You, surprised, looked around. The complexity of the forces within the Ten Thousand Realms exceeded his imagination.
It seemed that if he wanted to hold ground and establish his own territorial power, it would not be easy, unless he had sufficiently strong power.
"Follow me, I’ll first tell you about your future identity and some news about the Pantheon."
Shen Sikong gave him a meaningful look and proceeded toward the work area.
Upon hearing this, Lin You’s gaze shifted, and he immediately followed.
After arriving at the deepest part, a parlor, and closing the door to sit down.
Shen Sikong straightforwardly said, "You probably already heard, the Pantheon is recently defending against the Demon King Army’s attack on the front lines, it’s a time of vulnerability at the rear."
"So you’re planning to infiltrate?" Lin You’s gaze flickered.
"Yes." Shen Sikong nodded, "Recently, the Pantheon has been aggressively capturing Lower Realm Lords, which every force basically knows. We plan to infiltrate the place where they hold those lords, to figure out what exactly they’re looking for."
"From what I know, many powers are preparing to take action now."
The matter of Lin You killing a Pantheon steward had been informed by Bai Shangting to Shen Sikong, so he was relatively trusting of Lin You and didn’t conceal much.
Of course, he didn’t disclose detailed plans, creating a margin of safety.
Unbeknownst to him, upon hearing this, Lin You’s eyes lit up.
Unexpectedly, the other powers also had their eyes on the captured Ten Thousand Realms Emperor, and they didn’t know the real purpose of the Pantheon’s captures.
This was truly his chance!
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he quickly asked, "When do you plan to act?"
"The day after tomorrow," Shen Sikong’s face was solemn, "The day after tomorrow coincides with the Pantheon’s annual festival, and it happens to align with the initiation of a battle, the two Elders remaining might all be in attendance, that will be our best chance to infiltrate."
"What about the Pantheon Hall Master?"
"Don’t worry, the Hall Master should still be confronting Demon King Barton somewhere, and won’t be returning soon. Does Younger Brother Lin want to participate in this operation? With your addition, our success rate will certainly be greatly enhanced."
"Of course, I’m going!"
Lin You took a deep breath, his gaze became profoundly deep.
Had he not come here from far away for this very moment?