Imperial Throne

Chapter 128: The Operation Continues

The Shadow Panther, now blinded in both eyes, clearly seemed far less threatening in everyone’s minds.

However, all those present were seasoned veterans with extensive combat experience. None of them let their guard down due to this sudden major achievement; instead, they became even more cautious.

Even Aliman, after piercing the Shadow Panther’s last eye with a thrust, stepped midair once more using the ability of the Suspended Zone to quickly rise in altitude, avoiding the beast’s sudden pounce and tail whip.

At this point in the battle, it was essentially a foregone conclusion.

But Ion recalled the experience back in the ruin pit of Withered Wood Forest and hurriedly shouted, “Be careful—there might be a second Shadow Panther nearby! Try not to stray too far from the others.”

Upon hearing this, Aliman quickly circled halfway around and retreated back into the group.

As long as this Shadow Panther was still alive, no one dared lose focus. They continued their cautious siege, wary of the beast lashing out in a final struggle that might take a comrade with it.

Fortunately, this Shadow Panther had no companions. So even in its final unwilling collapse, it failed to take anyone down with it—a result that brought a visible sigh of relief from Ion and the others.

The ensuing cleanup of the battlefield was naturally not difficult.

Two Bloodline Knights offered to take on the task, but were stopped by members of the Shelf Mercenary Group. They explained that without experience, one could easily damage the magical beast materials during dissection. Ion naturally agreed—after all, his previous attempts at handling such materials had been quite rough. It was only due to the Demonic Sword that nothing had been wasted.

“The heart and hide of the Shadow Panther are excellent materials. Its teeth and claws also have value,” Ion explained. “The eyes too, actually. But since we had to blind it to defeat it, that part was unavoidable.”

Generally, the hearts of magical beasts—especially those of biological types—were highly valuable and important materials. Their value was typically the highest. Thus, many demon hunters would rather damage other parts of the beast’s body than risk harming the heart during extraction.

Within the Shelf Mercenary Group was an old veteran particularly skilled in material dissection.

He first sliced open the Shadow Panther’s soft belly with a dagger. Then, after cutting a small slit along the flesh’s edge, he inserted the blade sideways and began the skinning process.

Soon, the beast’s entire black pelt had been stripped cleanly.

The subsequent removal of the teeth, claws, and heart posed no difficulty for this man either.

The Shadow Panther was an advancement of the Second-Tier Bloodline Ghost-Eyed Hound. Though relatively weaker in direct combat, it possessed significant advantages in ambush, assassination, and stealth. However, this path remained rather awkward up to the Fifth-Tier and wasn’t particularly favored within the Red Eagle Territory, making its magical beast materials difficult to sell at good prices.

Watching this Tier 3 magical beast be defeated so swiftly—albeit with Ion's early warning that gave them the initiative, and their later precision targeting of its weak points—Ion still felt a bit emotional. After all, both battles and wars were judged by outcome alone.

“That incident back then...” Ion shook his head slightly, merely hinting at something before falling silent.

“That was a ritual of the Kasein Family,” Akar quietly responded, knowing what his father was thinking. “I once subtly asked Anna. She said it was the ‘Rite of the Brave’ of the Kasein Family. To prove they have the courage and ability to lead the family, all heirs must kill a Tier 3 Armored Demon Rabbit alone. That’s how they qualify as Third-Tier Bloodline Users.”

“Alone?”

“To many Bloodline Nobles, ordinary people aren’t even considered people,” Akar said in a low voice.

“Hah.” Ion let out a cold laugh.

But he also recalled Baron Hess of the Gem Territory. In his eyes, the citizens were mere tools and expendables. Though Anna’s methods were far better than Baron Hess’s, the innate superiority complex of the Bloodline Nobles had never changed.

“The Kasein Family will eventually destroy itself with that tradition.”

“Marquis Visen has already abolished that tradition,” Akar said. “Burton’s death clearly dealt a heavy blow to the Kasein Family. The Marquis changed many traditions and practices because of it. He even kept Miss Monica by his side, personally guiding and caring for her... Now, even when Miss Monica goes out, she is always accompanied by at least one Third-Tier Bloodline User.”

After hearing Akar’s words, Ion said nothing more.

His thoughts turned to his own grandchildren.

The Soderbell Family still had no Third-Tier Bloodline User. So forget assigning a personal guardian for his grandchildren—even if both Yam and Akar advanced to Third-Tier, it didn’t mean they could always stay by the children’s side.

As for himself?

Ever since losing one arm, Ion knew he could no longer become a Third-Tier Bloodline User—unless he used the power of the Demonic Sword. But with his growing understanding of it, Ion no longer wished to waste its power on himself. The Demonic Sword had five remaining Purification uses. Yam and Akar would each need one to reach Third-Tier, leaving just three. These would have to be used far more cautiously.

At least, until they found a way to replenish the Purification uses, this ability was a rare resource that could only be consumed sparingly.

“Lord Ion!” Roda’s voice suddenly rang out. “I found the Shadow Panther’s lair—there’s a cub inside!”

Hearing this, several faces lit up with excitement.

Magical beast cubs were rare and special beings. Everyone present had only heard of them before, never seen one in person.

Especially for the Shelf Mercenary Group—after so many years traveling across the Southern Region and having hunted numerous magical beasts in the Western Territory—even they had never encountered a magical beast cub. So the news of discovering the Shadow Panther’s lair left them especially excited.

“Are your hands alright?” Ion looked at Roda’s blood-soaked hands and couldn’t help but ask.

“They’ve been simply bandaged and treated. It looks terrible, but it’s not beyond healing,” Roda replied with remarkable composure. “I just won’t be able to use them for a few months and will need to rest.”

Bloodline Users, unless fighting for their lives, rarely battled to the point of serious injury. Every healing period led to a reduction in Bloodline Concentration, requiring more time and training to recover. This was far from ideal for anyone aiming to reach higher tiers.

After all, if a Bloodline User failed to reach Fourth-Tier by the age of fifty, they would experience significant decline in vital energy. And if they still hadn’t broken through by sixty, it would essentially mean the end of their chances to ever reach Fourth-Tier.

So avoiding injuries that required long-term rest was a shared understanding among most lower-tier Bloodline Users.

“After we return, take a break in Gem City for a while. Once your condition stabilizes, head back to White Mountain Territory,” Ion said. “Just focus on resting and take on lighter, simpler tasks. I’ll explain everything to Yam.”

Roda merely smiled, saying nothing more.

He was well aware of his own aptitude. Reaching even Third-Tier was unlikely, let alone Fourth-Tier. So he had no delusions. He only knew that the people of the Soderbell Family were good to work for, and he wouldn’t be mistreated. Now, he just hoped to find a wife and have a child with some potential.

At the very least, someone who could become a Bloodline Knight.

Led by Roda, they quickly arrived at the entrance of a cave.

Even from the entrance, they caught the strong stench wafting from within.

“It’s safe inside, but there’s only one cub.”

“Only one?” Aliman questioned.

“Yes. I only saw one cub. No others, and its eyes haven’t even opened yet.”

Following Roda’s words, someone soon entered the cave and carried out a completely pitch-black Shadow Panther cub.

The tiny thing was barely the size of an adult’s palm, curled up like a lump of coal. It must have sensed the bloodline aura around it, as it began to emit uneasy sounds. The sound resembled a cat’s mewling—nothing like the piercing, intimidating cry the adult Shadow Panther had let out.

“This little thing doesn’t seem threatening at all. What do we do with it?” Aliman asked.

All eyes naturally turned to Ion—he was the one truly in charge here.

“I don’t know either,” Ion shook his head. “I haven’t read any books that recorded anything about magical beast cubs, so even if you ask me, I can’t tell you what this cub really is.”

Everyone present were Bloodline Users—though Ion and Akar came from relatively accomplished bloodline families, they still had a long way to go before becoming Bloodline Nobles. So all their knowledge about magical beasts and Bloodline Users came from the libraries of the lord families of White Mountain Territory and Gem Territory. If those libraries didn’t have the records, they naturally wouldn’t know.

“No matter what, let’s send it back to Gem City along with the magical beast materials,” Akar suggested after a moment’s thought. “If we just leave it here, it’ll likely die soon.”

No one objected to Akar’s suggestion.

“Akar, you and Roda take the items back and inform Anna not to announce that we’ve killed the Shadow Panther. Just say we severely wounded it, but it escaped. That way, we can continue the search. As for mining and trade transport at the quarry, there’s no more danger, so those activities can resume.”

Hearing Ion’s words, the others knew what he intended.

So Aliman quickly added, “In at most five more days, we should be able to finish checking all of Ruby Village. If the person you’re looking for is really here, we can’t guarantee we’ll find them, but we can definitely narrow the scope.”

“Good!” Ion nodded. “Then let’s begin immediately. Your current condition returning to Ruby Village is solid proof.”

The wound on Aliman’s abdomen had only been simply bandaged to stop the bleeding, but such battle marks served as perfect evidence of their encounter with the Shadow Panther.