"Same old rules—I'll go in first and scout things out."
With that, Ian Song vanished from sight.
Watching Ian Song disappear, Fiona Li sighed, "It's true—only by following the Commander can we make real achievements!"
"Heh, and we can get rich too!" Jason Song added, thinking about all the resources stuffed in his storage ring. If he flipped those resources, he'd make at least several billion silver—enough to spend on girls for a lifetime and still have plenty left over.
The others all nodded in firm agreement.
Suddenly, Marcus Meng said with a hint of regret, "It's a pity the Commander never joined the military. If he had, with all his past and present achievements, he could easily become a Council Elder in the future!"
"I think it's because the Commander has too much ambition—he doesn't want to be shackled by the military," Shawn Tu said gravely.
"Yeah, I wonder how far the Commander will go in the future?" Hannah Han nodded.
Jason Song suddenly said, "By the way, have you ever thought about how amazing the Commander's healing ability is? If I had that, I'd never have to worry about getting hurt in battle!"
"Old Jason, you really need to keep that secret for the Commander. That kind of ability is way too shocking—if word got out, it might bring trouble instead of good," Hannah Han reminded him.
"Yeah, that makes sense!"
After thinking it over, the others agreed with Hannah Han's concern and made a pact not to tell anyone about Ian Song's rapid healing method.
Fiona Li and the others' conversation couldn't reach Ian Song. He was already darting through the Third Prince's royal city.
At last, he confirmed the number of Martial Saints from the Strongarm Bull Devils inside the royal city.
Two early-stage Martial Saints, one mid-stage, and one late-stage.
The Strongarm Bull Devils have monstrous bodies packed with divine strength, so their Martial Saints are generally more powerful than their human counterparts.
So, two early-stage Devil Saints could fight evenly with mid-stage human Martial Saints, the mid-stage Devil Saint matches a late-stage human, and that late-stage Devil Saint is comparable to a human peak Martial Saint. Even if Fiona Li's team of six joined forces, they might not be able to take him down—after all, their strongest member is only late-stage.
With a thought, Ian Song fully fused with his Spirit Rabbit Beast Martial Soul.
The Spirit Rabbit Beast Martial Soul isn't a combat soul—its only function is to detect treasures within a thousand li.
Previously, Ian Song was able to easily find the Ninth Prince's treasury thanks to the Spirit Rabbit Beast.
"Mm!"
Sensing with the Spirit Rabbit Beast, Ian Song saw a spot blazing with light—there was a great treasure there.
Nearby, clusters of dazzling light shone, and all across the royal city were scattered points of brightness.
Climbing onto a rooftop, Ian Song looked out and saw that both main sources of light were inside the palace.
Unfortunately, the palace was guarded by a late-stage and a mid-stage Strongarm Bull Devil Martial Saint—getting the treasure wouldn't be easy.
With a flicker, Ian Song's figure appeared outside the royal city.
"So, Commander, how many Martial Saints inside?" Fiona Li asked.
Ian Song answered in a deep voice, "Four! One late-stage, one mid-stage, and two early-stage. The two early-stage ones are in the city, and the other two are in the palace!"
The six Martial Saints all looked a bit grim at that.
The late-stage Strongarm Bull Devil Martial Saint was terrifying. Last time, just fighting a mid-stage one nearly got Jason Song killed. Facing a late-stage one, they really weren't confident.
They'd hoped to make another big score in the Third Prince's palace, but now it looked like that wasn't happening.
Fiona Li suddenly noticed how calm Ian Song looked and couldn't help asking, "Commander, you've got a plan, don't you?"
"I do—but it'll take someone willing to take a risk," Ian Song said.
"Just say the word, Commander—we're not afraid to die!" Jason Song quickly thumped his chest.
"That's right, none of us are afraid. Besides, with your miraculous healing, even if we get badly hurt, you won't leave us hanging!" Fiona Li grinned.
Ian Song glanced at Fiona Li. "That healing method is amazing, but it has limits—I can only use it three times a day, and I've already used all three today."
Hearing that it could only be used three times, everyone looked a bit down.
Ian Song spoke again: "Alright, let me lay out my plan! I'll set up a formation outside the city, then send two people in to lure that late-stage Martial Saint into the array. Once he's inside, he'll be at our mercy!"
"Sounds good—we'll follow your lead!"
No one had any objections to the plan.
"Alright, I'll go set up the formation. You guys rest up!"
Ian Song quickly got to work, spending more than two hours before finally completing the array.
It was late at night.
Ian Song brought Jason Song and Shawn Tu to the palace.
Using Clairvoyant Vision, Ian Song found that as soon as they arrived, the late-stage Martial Saint in the palace noticed them.
"Jason, Shawn, he's already spotted us. Remember—fight while retreating, and don't get stuck inside the palace!" Ian Song reminded them.
"Don't worry, we won't let you down!"
The two thumped their chests in promise.
"Alright, I'll head out first!"
With a flicker, Ian Song teleported several kilometers away and watched the palace with Clairvoyant Vision.
Sure enough, once the enemy sensed intruders in the palace, the late-stage Strongarm Bull Devil Martial Saint grabbed his three-meter-long saber and charged straight at Jason Song and Shawn Tu.
The three quickly clashed.
This Strongarm Bull Devil Martial Saint was truly powerful. Even using just a basic saber style, he completely overwhelmed Jason Song and Shawn Tu.
"Go!"
The two exchanged a glance, then burst into motion and retreated out of the palace.
"Heh, trying to run? Human Martial Saints, just stay and face Grandpa Sparta!" The Bull Devil Martial Saint named Sparta grinned wickedly and chased after them with his saber.
Jason Song and Shawn Tu saw Sparta hot on their heels.
Both were surprised and delighted.
Soon, the three—one chasing, two fleeing—left the royal city.
Watching from the shadows, Ian Song instantly teleported into the array and alerted the others inside: "Get ready—the fish is about to bite!"
No sooner had he spoken than Jason Song and Shawn Tu appeared, with Sparta the Bull Devil Martial Saint roaring behind them: "Human Martial Saints! If you have guts, stop and fight Grandpa Sparta!"
"Idiot!"
"Moron—knowing we can't beat you, why would we fight you? Do you think we're as dumb as you?" Jason Song shouted back, mocking him.
"Bastards, how dare you mock me! I'll kill you all!" Sparta was completely enraged, speeding up.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Jason Song and Shawn Tu dove into the array, and without thinking, Sparta chased right after them.
"Huh? Where'd they go?"
Inside the array, the scenery suddenly changed into a boundless forest, leaving Sparta puzzled. He still hadn't realized he'd walked right into the trap.
"Attack!"
None of the six inside the array would let this chance slip by—they all attacked Sparta at once.