Chapter 497 - 356: The Nations Tremble, A Fearsome Reputation

Ian flew west, passing through the lingering smoke that still filled the sky.

Perched on his shoulder, Gaga meticulously preened its feathers with its small beak. "Ian, I reek of smoke."

The little creature complained, flapping its wings to disperse the strange smell from its body.

Ian said nothing, his gaze fixed on the world below.

The land stretched out beneath him, transitioning from ravaged ruins and over continuous mountain ranges to the barren Gobi, and then to scattered oases.

The tragedy in the Capital of India was like a depth charge, its shockwaves spreading across the entire Profound Yellow Star at an astonishing speed.

The rulers of the smaller nations who received the news were trembling with fear, unable to sleep a wink.

A single human had intercepted a nuclear missile with his bare body!

A nuke! The ultimate weapon in this world!

「One day later. The border of the Kabul Kingdom.」

Ian slowly descended onto a flat patch of sand enclosed by a barbed-wire fence.

Beyond the fence, a dense, dark mass of people was kneeling, stretching from the edge of the flat ground all the way to the distant city walls.

This wasn’t a welcome, but... prostration.

Every person had their forehead pressed to the ground, their bodies trembling slightly. The air was thick with the stench of fear.

Ian unleashed his Spiritual Power, sweeping it across the surroundings, but detected no aura of a Legend.

Gaga, perched on his shoulder, kept looking around. "Ian, they seem to be shaking."

"That’s normal." Ian didn’t break his stride, walking toward the front of the crowd.

At the very front was a man in his sixties, dressed in a white Long Robe with gold trim and wearing a crown.

Seeing Ian approach, the old man’s expression instantly tensed. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees, only saved from embarrassment by a quick-eyed minister who supported him.

"Mr.... Mr. Yin... Welcome... to Kabul."

His voice trembled and his tongue seemed to disobey him, his words slurring together.

Ian stopped and his gaze fell upon the man’s face.

Perhaps it was the heat, but fine beads of sweat formed on the old man’s forehead.

"The Source Crystals... are ready. Not a single one is missing."

He hastily presented a Jade Box. Though the box was closed, a rich, primal aura was already leaking out.

Ian took the Jade Box. A scan with his Spiritual Power revealed one hundred Source Crystals inside, plus an extra ten.

He looked up at the old man with a questioning gaze.

The old man shuddered and quickly explained, "Kabul is a small kingdom with few people and not much to offer... Please, don’t look down on our humble gift."

Ian nodded, accepted the gift, and stored the Jade Box in his Dimension Ring.

"Lead the way."

The old man let out a long sigh of relief. He quickly turned and personally opened a car door. "This way, Mr. Yin! The Rift is thirty li outside the city!"

Outside the city of Kabul, a dark purple fissure cut through the sandy ground.

Troops were stationed all around it, the soldiers’ expressions grim as they clutched their guns tightly.

Ian walked to the edge and took a look, then vanished into the Rift in a flash.

With a single thought, crimson Long Spears materialized and shot toward the ground below.

BOOM... An explosion of crimson light erupted, and the ground melted.

Three seconds later, the Rift vanished, leaving only a hundred-meter-wide crater of vitrified glass.

The old man stood at a distance, his lips trembling.

He had witnessed the dangers of this Rift firsthand.

When it first appeared ten years ago, countless Mutant Beasts had poured out, swallowing several villages.

Kabul’s only Grandmaster had nearly given his life just to drive them back into the Rift.

And Mr. Yin... had done it in just three seconds.

The old man snapped back to his senses, pulled another Jade Box from his robes, and offered it with both hands.

"Mr. Yin, your power is divine! This... this is a little something extra..."

After taking it, Ian’s figure shot into the sky and vanished.

The old man’s composure finally broke, and he collapsed to the ground. ’This Mr. Yin... he doesn’t kill indiscriminately like the rumors say.’

He couldn’t help but sigh. "You can’t believe the rumors!"

Ian continued west. Gaga was now nestled against his chest, its little claws fiddling with the Source Crystals in the Jade Box.

"Ian, they’re really scared of you."

"Only those with ill intentions have reason to fear me."

Ian averted his gaze, recalling the names of several countries from the map.

Kabul, Baghdad, Damascus, Antioch, Ephesus... all small kingdoms.

The largest, Baghdad, had a territory smaller than half a province of Great Yan. The smallest, Begamos, consisted of only three cities.

These nations all had one thing in common: they had been tormented by Abyssal Rifts for decades, even centuries.

A larger one like Baghdad was watched over by a Legend at the Initial Stage, while the strongest expert in a smaller one might only be a Grandmaster.

They could barely defend their own capitals, let alone perform a Purification of a Rift.

"Will they be obedient?" Gaga asked.

"No one is immune to the fear of death. Besides, Delia’s body isn’t even cold yet."

「Baghdad.」

When Ian arrived, the welcoming party was even larger than the one in Kabul.

The King, along with three princes, five princesses, and all the high-ranking court ministers, knelt outside the landing pad.

Inside the Jade Box were two hundred Source Crystals—fifty more than promised.

"Mr. Yin, you’ve had a long journey. This is a small token of Baghdad’s appreciation..."

The King was a middle-aged man in his fifties. He spoke with his waist bent low in a gesture of extreme reverence.

Ian took the Jade Box and glanced in the direction of the Rift.

"Take me to the Rift."

"Yes! Yes!" The King personally got behind the wheel and hurriedly led the way.

Ten minutes later, the Rift was Purified.

Ian boarded a plane. His Jade Box now held an additional twenty Source Crystals.

The King watched the plane gradually disappear. His smile vanished, and he let out a long sigh.

And so, Ian traveled from one kingdom to the next: Ephesus, Sardis, Begamos...

The process was nearly identical every time: a kneeling welcome, the presentation of gifts, being led to the site, Purification, and then an extra "offering of respect."

Ian didn’t say a single word throughout the entire process, but after he left, the king of every nation breathed a long sigh of relief.

"He’s finally gone..."

This was their shared sentiment.

「Seven days later, the plane returned to the border of Great Yan.」