First, an Embrace

Du Chen unhesitatingly tossed Sean several strings of jewels.

Sean draped the jewels around his neck and swiftly sketched a map, his smile both eerie and endearing, like a child's. "Your Excellency, this is merely half a map… Oh, don't eye me like that! I'm a shrewd merchant, and I grasp the current lay of the land!"

He gestured wildly with his hands, pointing at the group as if performing a dance. "I am but a Ninth-rank Bone Golem King, yet any of you seem to possess the power to easily dispatch me. So, if I were to grant you the complete map, how would you then treat Sean, once I've outlived my usefulness? This question is truly worth pondering! Therefore, I offer you half the map; the other half resides within my head…" He tapped his skull. "Moving forward, I shall accompany you, effectively entrusting my life to your care, and at the same time, guide you through the critical junctions missing from the map. This way, we can all rest assured!"

Du Chen touched his nose and smiled faintly, "You truly are a shrewd businessman!"

"I have never denied it!" Sean flashed his strange yet adorable skeletal grin again. "Once our collaboration concludes, you will realize my value within the Labyrinth of Life, concluding that there's still potential for future collaboration… and thus, I will be safe!"

Du Chen slipped off the red diamond ring from his finger and casually tossed it to Sean. "If our cooperation is pleasant, you will receive countless jewels in the future. But if you play any tricks… Brook, you keep him under guard. The moment we encounter even a hint of a disturbance, execute him immediately!"

"The latter scenario will absolutely not come to pass!"

Sean, all smiles, led the way.

The group continued forward and soon reached a junction. However, Du Chen was faced with a dilemma: should he first go after Brockman, or search for the Master who wields the Metallic Sonic Wave? Du Chen, naturally, wanted to prioritize finding the Master, who might be connected to Old Foye. But what about Tyr? A father's heart is tied to his son; his sole purpose in accompanying Du Chen on this journey was to recover the biological son he had never even seen!

Though Tyr remained silent, at the crossroads, he stared fixedly at Du Chen, his expression resolute!

Du Chen chuckled, "Mr. Tyr, Brockman is gravely wounded; he won't get far. Perhaps we should…"

Tyr slowly shook his head. "To me, my son is paramount!"

"Mr. Tyr, I swear by the Battle God Oath: after I've met the Master who uses the Metallic Sonic Wave, I will absolutely retrieve your son!"

"And I swear by the dignity of an Aberrant Beast: as long as Your Excellency first helps me recover my son, I will exert my full strength to assist you in finding that individual!" Tyr retorted, leaving no room for doubt. Unfortunately, Tyr's personal strength wasn't formidable, otherwise, he would have already gone to rescue his son himself.

Neither of them was willing to yield.

At this moment, Sean, who was leading the way, turned back and chuckled, "Esteemed guests, it seems you've encountered a conundrum! I propose this: I can find another Bone Golem to guide you. How about you split up and each pursue your own objectives? Of course, the price will also be doubled!"

Tyr stared at Du Chen, awaiting his decision.

Du Chen frowned, murmuring to himself, "Split up? Dealing with Brockman's side isn't difficult; any one person could handle their gravely wounded group. But what if the person I'm seeking turns out to be Duhong? The Nether Dragon's power has already been proven by Uncle Orbach's life. My newly ascended Tenth-rank self, combined with Deboning and Andy, could certainly manage. But if I were to send someone away to kill Brockman, and my opponent turned out to be Duhong, wouldn't I face utter annihilation?"

This was a truly thorny dilemma!

Sean chuckled again. "Esteemed guests, I suspect your predicament is the fear that your strength won't be sufficient to face your enemies if you split up, correct? Have you forgotten my identity?" He pointed to his nasal cavity—or rather, the large hole in the center of his skull—then jiggled the red diamond ring he had just received from Du Chen. "A ring like this, and I can procure an Eighth-rank Bone Golem as an auxiliary for you, oh… Allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Sean, the Bone Golem King!"

What defines a shrewd merchant? A shrewd merchant is one who can anticipate and fulfill all their clients' needs!

"Well? Interested? And don't fret about being secretly harmed by my kin if you separate, for my life—the Bone Golem King's life—is firmly in your hands!"

Du Chen and Tyr nodded in unison. Du Chen said, "In that case, I will have Pamir accompany you to search for your son, but you must first ascertain the location of the person we seek!"

Tyr closed his eyes for a long moment. "The individual you seek has moved to the four o'clock direction, seven hundred meters away!" He bowed slightly but said nothing more.

Du Chen instructed Andy, "You follow Mr. Tyr. Stay sharp. If any of those Bone Golems make a disturbance, eliminate them immediately, leaving only two living captives to interrogate about the way back. Everything else will be according to Mr. Tyr's arrangements!"

"I, Kr… er, Your Excellency the Divine Envoy, as you wish!" Andy moved to Tyr's side.

Bidding farewell to Tyr, Du Chen ordered Deboning to keep a close watch on Sean, then proceeded in the direction Tyr had indicated. Sean indeed proved to be an excellent merchant; in no time at all, he had procured thirteen Eighth-rank Bone Golems. With this lineup, they possessed the strength to challenge even Duhong, should they truly encounter him!

The path Andy was on was no cause for concern. With Tyr's perceptive abilities and Andy's strength, it was utterly impossible for Bone Golems to ambush or harm them—for Tyr, 'traps' were synonymous with 'ineffective'!

However, Du Chen's own path required vigilance regarding Sean!

He simply expanded his Lotus Platform and sat beside Xue Ji, quietly recounting the recent transaction. He then added, "Miss Xue Ji, your understanding of Bone Golems and the Labyrinth of Life far surpasses mine. I must trouble you to keep an eye on this Bone Golem King. If he makes any move inconsistent with Bone Golem behavior, please immediately alert Brook, who is behind him!"

Xue Ji nodded softly and said, "Benefactor's command, Xue Ji will not refuse!"

Only then did Du Chen feel reassured. He glanced at the Lotus Pedestal. This Lotus Pedestal, used for storage, now held many items, but only three caused Du Chen concern…

The unconscious Steve, the evil tree seed that could potentially explode and had once wiped out a hundred thousand Merfolk, and finally… Xue Ji!

This Old Hag would be of great use in the Labyrinth of Life; how could Du Chen not keep her in mind?

Of course, Du Chen hadn't forgotten to bring along the Green Gourd Beast either!

…

They passed through tunnels and entered caves. After advancing about three to five hundred meters, a 'thud, thud' sound of footsteps echoed from a corner ahead. It was a very loud sound, much bolder than Du Chen and his group, who were hovering cautiously, afraid to make even the slightest noise!

Du Chen's expression turned serious. He immediately waved his hand, signaling everyone to silence themselves and conceal their presence. They were here! Constantine or Duhong? They would know the answer soon!

Deboning released a black mist, helping the Bone Golems conceal their aura, then focused intensely on the sound of the footsteps…

Clink! Clink! The footsteps were exceedingly peculiar, interspersed with the clanging of metal. It seemed the approaching individual had a chain fastened to them, which they were dragging along.

The sound drew steadily closer…

Deboning, his hands behind his back, gave Du Chen a reassuring signal—the approaching person's footsteps showed no change; they continued to stride forward. This indicated that they hadn't detected any opponents beyond the corner, and more importantly, their strength was insufficient to perceive a Tenth-rank Deboning! Thus, the identity of the newcomer was all but revealed…

Tenth-rank Constantine, not Eleventh-Tier Duhong!

Du Chen touched his nose and smiled. "Rebellious Dragon, you won't be escaping today! A lone Deboning now possesses the power to challenge you!" Yet, a slight disappointment lingered in his heart. "What a pity it's not Duhong, Uncle Orbach…"

The newcomer finally rounded the corner. Both parties locked eyes, and everyone froze in astonishment!

A Flat-Top's Helm obscured half their face, and a priestly robe trailed behind them. The newcomer's attire was remarkably similar to that of Number Eight and Number Nine, subordinates of Old Bovin and Jamis!

However, there were distinct differences!

Numbers Eight and Nine wore red Flat-Top's Helms and black robes, but the newcomer's attire was precisely the opposite: a black helm and a red robe. Moreover, a chain was coiled around their body, and a delicate golden padlock on their chest secured them tightly, yet it didn't hinder their movements!

Aside from the chain, the newcomer's appearance was exactly as described by the Shadow Godfather on that day: the one who single-handedly annihilated the Shadow Legion and rescued Constantine!

Just as both parties stood stunned, the newcomer spoke first. "Brook? Humph, what a small world! Does the bile from my gut still taste good to you?" It was indeed Constantine!

But why was he dressed like this?

No words were needed when enemies met. Constantine didn't recognize Du Chen, disguised as Alex, but his recognition of Deboning was enough. "Still taste good?" The Rebellious Dragon's final syllables were already launched as a Sonic Kill Formation!

Deboning didn't hold back either. The Blade of Vanishing Moon's Deadwater flashed, cleaving apart the invisible sonic waves. He charged forward, directly clashing with Constantine!

Seeing his sonic waves shattered, Constantine let out a surprised "Hm?" then roared, "Die!" An invisible wall of sonic waves materialized before him. Deboning lowered his shoulder, brought his blade across, and cleaved thunderously into the wall. The sonic wall shattered, and Deboning recoiled!

In their first exchange, the two were surprisingly evenly matched!

The second round of confrontation immediately began!

Just then, Xue Ji on the Lotus Platform let out a soft "Ying-ning," covering her ears and leaning her head against Du Chen's shoulder. Still severely injured, she couldn't withstand the Rebellious Dragon's sonic waves—this also highlighted the gap between Constantine and Duhong; last time, Duhong had been able to focus all his sonic waves to bombard a single opponent, without any diffusion whatsoever!

Du Chen was pondering Constantine's attire when he suddenly felt a soft, boneless form lean against his shoulder, then slide down into his embrace. A faint, natural fragrance filled his nostrils, and skin that was yielding to the touch pressed tightly against him…