Compared to the other three secret continents, the Dark Society’s influence seemed much smaller.
Yin Continent controlled most of the gold coins in the human kingdoms, equivalent to the world’s bank.
Demon Continent controlled most of the sorcerers in the human kingdoms, possessing countless dark arts, poisons, and people with extraordinary abilities.
Ba Continent controlled most of the world’s secret gold mineral deposits, astronomical quantities of various metal ores, monopolising more than half of the world’s arms trade.
And the Dark Society merely produced assassins.
Moreover, legend had it that Dark Society assassins never failed, and there was no one in the world they dared not kill.
Of course, at Sauron’s level, he knew this was a joke.
Though the Dark Society was mysterious and powerful, it too had a master behind it, that being the Dragon God Temple.
The Dragon God Temple was always bright and righteous, and could not perform any dirty or dark deeds. Thus, four black vests were needed to rule and deter the world.
The four secret continents were essentially four subsidiaries of the Dragon God Temple operating in the shadows. And the Dark Society was specifically responsible for performing the dark and dirty work.
Under normal circumstances, the Dark Society certainly would not fail in an assassination.
But there were always exceptions.
Zhiyan Li had once paid the Dark Society to assassinate Sauron, deploying over a dozen Dragon Warriors. They had been on the verge of success, but encountered a Dragon Archer from the Heavenly Star Hall of the Zhi Capital Temple. Knowing Sauron’s identity as a reincarnator, he firmly refused to kill Sauron on the spot, insisting he be handed over to Zhiyan Li to kill.
As a result, while escorting Sauron to the Zhi Capital, they encountered Asha Liren. Through a strange twist of fate, those dozen or so Dark Society experts were killed cleanly.
Moreover, the Dark Society did not carry out any retaliation against Asha Liren afterwards.
So, would assassinating Yan Mo be considered special?
Probably not. At least in the current world situation, Yan Mo’s weight was not comparable to Sauron’s.
…
In a small castle, Sauron met the Dark Society’s liaison.
He was an ordinary person, the kind who would instantly vanish in a crowd. An ordinary face, an ordinary build.
The only somewhat special feature was his dull eyes, as still as an ancient well.
He simply sat behind the table, the cup of tea before him untouched.
Sauron came before him and sat down.
The Dark Society liaison presented his identity documents and Dark Society badge, allowing Sauron to verify his identity.
Only after Sauron had completely confirmed he was a Dark Society liaison did the two parties begin detailed discussions.
“Who to kill?” the Dark Society liaison asked.
“The King of the Rock Clan, Yan Mo.” Sauron said.
At these words, the Dark Society liaison actually furrowed his brow.
“What is it?” Sauron said.
The Dark Society liaison said, “This person will not do.”
Sauron asked puzzled, “Why will he not do? Is he some extraordinary great figure who cannot be killed?”
The Dark Society liaison said, “That is not it. Someone has paid for a non kill order on him.”
Sauron was startled. There was actually such a thing as a non kill order?
The Dark Society liaison said, “Once a non kill order is purchased, the Dark Society will no longer carry out any assassinations against this person.”
Sauron said, “Then, how many gold coins did this non kill order for Yan Mo cost?”
“Thirty five thousand gold coins.” the Dark Society liaison said.
Sauron said, “Then I will pay double the price for you to kill him?”
The Dark Society liaison shook his head, “No. The non kill order is for life.”
Sauron said, “Then who purchased this non kill order for Yan Mo? Was it himself?”
“It was not himself.” the Dark Society liaison said, “Specifically who, we must keep confidential.”
Who could it be? Zhiyan Li?
The Dark Society liaison said, “Lord Sauron, would you not purchase a non kill order for yourself? We have received many commissions to kill you. It is merely that the price is always too high, causing them to shrink back.”
Sauron said in surprise, “What is the price of my non kill order? And what is the price of the commission to kill me?”
The Dark Society liaison said, “Three days ago, the price was nine hundred seventy thousand gold coins. The non kill order price is one million three hundred ninety thousand gold coins.”
Sauron clicked his tongue in amazement. His price was actually this high?
Sauron asked, “Then what is Zhiyan Li’s price?”
“He is protected by a non kill order. He cannot be assassinated.” the Dark Society liaison said.
Sauron said, “Then how much did he spend on this non kill order?”
The Dark Society liaison said, “He did not pay.”
Then, the Dark Society liaison said, “Lord Sauron, would you not purchase a non kill order for yourself?”
“Too expensive. I cannot afford it.” Sauron said.
The Dark Society liaison smiled, “Throughout the entire human kingdom, your price ranks among the top few. However, it is precisely because of this astronomical price that you receive a certain degree of protection. There truly are not many who can afford such a large sum. Moreover, the success rate is not very high. We have simulated many times. To successfully kill you would require the sacrifice of at least several dozen Dragon Warriors.”
Sauron suddenly felt utterly absurd. The other party was actually discussing how to assassinate him.
“Then you absolutely will not accept this commission to assassinate Yan Mo, correct?” Sauron asked.
“Yes, Lord Sauron.” the Dark Society liaison said, “However, I can give you a piece of information. There are extremely powerful experts by Yan Mo’s side. The assassination success rate would not be very high either.”
“Who?” Sauron asked.
“This information I can give you. It is Demon Continent.” the Dark Society liaison said.
Demon Continent? Why would this powerful force help Yan Mo? Did they want to get their hands on the magic mirror or gunpowder?
But obviously, the relationship between the Dark Society and Demon Continent was not good. Otherwise they would not be secretly undermining each other behind the scenes.
“If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave.” the Dark Society liaison said, “Are you certain you do not wish to purchase a non kill order?”
“Too expensive.” Sauron said.
“Very well. Next time you are prepared to purchase, you may contact us at any time.” the Dark Society liaison said, “We offer installment plans, extendable up to three years for payment, with interest of merely ten percent.”
“Thank you.” Sauron said.
“Farewell.” The Dark Society liaison withdrew.
Though he could not assassinate Yan Mo, Sauron instead let out a long sigh of relief.
Yan Mo was arrogant and shameless, having humiliated him several times. Sauron wished nothing more than to put him to death. But deep in his heart, he hoped to defeat him openly and honourably on the battlefield, to destroy him.
After all, he was his elder half brother, the son of Aunt Yan Chuo’er.
He had felt no pressure when assassinating Duke Lanshi of the Night Lan Duchy. But using assassination methods against Yan Mo, he always felt somewhat awkward in his heart.
But on the battlefield, he had absolutely no certainty of defeating Yan Mo. To protect his family, to protect his child, Sauron had to resort to every possible means.
And now, this extreme method was no longer viable.
So in the end, it would still have to be decided on the battlefield, determining life and death!
“Come, let us go to the southern sea area and conduct the first firing of the cannon warships.” Sauron said, “In twenty odd days, our success or failure will depend on whether these three warships are sufficiently powerful, on whether our cannons are sufficiently sharp.”
While Zhuang Zhixuan went to prepare the griffins, Princess Zhiyan suddenly said to Sauron, “Husband, since returning from the Western Sea of the mainland, have you touched Zhuang Zhixuan?”
Sauron shook his head, “No. Why would I touch her?”
Princess Zhiyan said, “Her martial arts are extremely high. There may be times when I am not by your side, and you will completely need to rely on her to protect you. To make her absolutely reliable, let her become thoroughly one of our own.”
Zhiyan had not originally had this in mind. All along, she had been very cold towards Zhuang Zhixuan.
But after speaking with the Dark Society people, learning that so many people had attempted to hire the Dark Society to assassinate Sauron, it was merely that the price was too high, causing them to shrink back.
But obviously, as Sauron continued to rise, there would only be more and more people coming to assassinate him.
Though Zhuang Zhixuan’s martial arts were not as high as Zhiyan’s, she originated from Demon Continent. Her unorthodox martial arts were impossible to guard against, and her martial arts were overbearing and sharp. Coupled with Sauron’s powerful spiritual techniques, unless they encountered a crazy level ambush like that of Demon Continent Princess Wanwan, Sauron’s safety could be guaranteed.
Zhiyan said, “Zhuang Zhixuan is still lost, not knowing where to go or what to do. If you bed her, her heart will be completely settled. She will regard Tianshui City as her home, and naturally risk her life to protect it.”
…
Sauron, Zhiyan, and Zhuang Zhixuan rode griffins towards the southern sea area.
As Sauron’s personal bodyguard, Zhuang Zhixuan still rode on the same griffin as Sauron.
She had followed Sauron for several months already. But most of the time, Sauron could not even sense her presence, because she almost never spoke.
Of course, there was one time when Sauron could absolutely not ignore her presence, and that was when she walked in front of him.
Because Zhuang Zhixuan’s figure was simply too explosive. Especially her two super long legs, and her astonishingly pert round bottom. Her back view was truly heart stopping.
“You’ve let your hair grow?” Sauron asked.
Zhuang Zhixuan was startled. Normally, when there was nothing going on, Sauron would never say half a word to her.
“Mmm.” Zhuang Zhixuan said.
What she wore now was ear length short hair, plus tight fitting crocodile leather fighting attire. She was completely a sexy, explosive beauty, without the slightest trace of masculinity remaining.
Her face was truly exquisite and beautiful. It was merely because she was constantly tense, constantly keeping a stern face, cold and severe, making her face as sharp as if carved by knife and axe, so piercing that people shrank back.
“These past few months, you have been following me. Have you had any thoughts?” Sauron asked.
Zhuang Zhixuan shook her head, “No thoughts.”
Sauron said, “Do you have family?”
Zhuang Zhixuan hesitated a moment, then shook her head, “No.”
Clearly, she had family. It was merely for some reason that she answered no.
Sauron said, “When we have leisure, shall I have Qinqin follow you to learn the sword?”
Zhuang Zhixuan was startled, appearing very surprised. Then she nodded, “Alright.”
…
At this moment, in the southern sea area several hundred li from Tianshui City, three large cannon warships were already prepared at sea.
Several dozen large and small ships scheduled for scrapping were also prepared, serving as target ships floating on the sea!
Sauron’s trio rode griffins and landed on the flagship in the middle.
Yan Chuo’er smiled, “The first shot from the ship’s bow has already been aimed. We are only waiting for you to light the fire.”
Sauron leapt down from the griffin, “Aunt, Yan Mo is protected by a Dark Society non kill order. He cannot be assassinated.”
A complex expression immediately surfaced on Yan Chuo’er’s exquisite face. Then she nodded, “Oh.”
The group came to the bow of this flagship. Here was a cannon, the largest on the entire warship, with a calibre of approximately one hundred fifty millimetres, over three metres long, weighing approximately three tonnes.
“This bow cannon fires solid shot, maximum range two thousand five hundred metres, effective range between one thousand and one thousand five hundred metres.” A nearby alchemist said, his voice filled with fanaticism, as if this was not a cannon but his own child.
In ancient China, the greatest problem in cannon manufacture was the roughness of the barrel, with air holes inside, prone to bursting.
However, in this world, this problem had been solved roughly a thousand years ago. Moreover, because of the existence of secret gold in this world, metal smelting technology far surpassed that of ancient China.
At this moment, this bow cannon had already completed loading and aiming. The target was a large ship over two hundred metres away.
The first shot must absolutely hit, for good fortune. Thus, they selected a very large derelict ship, filled with fish oil inside, placed over two hundred metres away.
Several dozen of the finest gunners had aimed again and again.
“Light it. Fire this first shot.” Yan Chuo’er handed the torch to Sauron.
Sauron pulled his aunt and Zhiyan, “Come, let us three fire this first shot together.”
Zhiyan’s beautiful eyes also stirred with eagerness, not refusing.
Sauron stood in the middle, Yan Chuo’er and Zhiyan to his left and right. The three held torches and together lit the fuse on the bow cannon.
“Sss lala…” The fuse burned rapidly.
A few seconds later…
“Boom!”
A tremendous explosion!
Flames erupted. A nearly thirty jin iron ball solid shot flew out violently, like a black lightning bolt, tracing an arc through the air.
“Bang…”
At a distance of over two hundred metres, facing such a large target ship, though it did not directly hit the centre of the large ship they had aimed at, merely striking the bow position.
But it was still a hit.
The scorching hot iron ball struck the wooden planks of the bow, effortlessly tearing through, penetrating, then igniting the fish oil inside.
“Boom boom boom…”
Instantly, a heaven shaking, earth shattering explosion.
The entire target ship was blown to pieces, fireballs shooting to the sky.
“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah…”
Sauron’s first shot was a direct hit, its momentum astonishing, giving the sailors and gunners on the three ships immense confidence and morale.
Then, Sauron gave the order, “Drill begins, hundred cannons fire as one!”
…
And at the same time!
Zhiyan Li’s wedding was drawing nearer and nearer. Tu Liyang and Tu Lingduo couple entered the royal capital, receiving Prince Zhiyan Li’s warm welcome.
Moreover, Tu Lingduo had completely abandoned her wheelchair. She stood gracefully and enchantingly beside Tu Liyang. Though she walked slowly, she swayed with captivating charm, sexy and alluring.
The gaze Zhiyan Li occasionally cast towards her waist and hips was burning hot!
However, Tu Liyang remained completely unaware. He was entirely immersed in the joy of his wife’s recovery. Moreover, his tall and enchanting wife Tu Lingduo was constantly holding his arm, their posture intimate, making him feel like the happiest man in the world.
Thus, he also did not discover just how many ambiguous glances his wife Tu Lingduo and Zhiyan Li had exchanged between them.