Nobilis of War novel Chapter 60

Toby handed the file to Darren. As the latter opened it and read the contents, his features broke into a serious expression.

"What is the thunder internal force?" Darren asked.

The file mentioned that an aggressive thunder internal force was found at Gavin's wound after his head had been cut off.

"When it comes to the thunder internal force, there's nothing we can do. We can't investigate further. Even the royal family doesn't dare to get involved with it," Toby replied, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Sir, I don't understand. Can you tell me why?" Darren inquired, perplexed by the older man's words.

"To tell you the truth, only the masters from the Holy Lands of martial arts can refine the thunder internal force. I just don't get it. How did Gavin get himself killed by a master from the Holy Land?"

Even Darren had no idea why his father would have been murdered.

"Well, I need to get back to the Governor's Office. I hope you will not dig into it further. Nothing good will come out of it," Toby said with cupped fists and walked away.

"Holy Land..." Darren repeated to himself. It suddenly occurred to him that his sister had been taken away by a person from a Holy Land of martial arts. The girl who had taken Belle with her was from the Lotus Holy Land.

"Where are the Holy Lands of martial arts?" Darren murmured. He decided he would go to the Lotus Holy Land even if it turned out the place had nothing to do with his father's death and sister's disappearance.

But he had little information about where the Lotus Holy Land was. Therefore he had to delay his plans to get to the Holy Land until he could gather more information. He shook off these thoughts, and without hesitation, he turned his horse towards Ilmen Sect.

...

As he was halfway to his destination, a great wind blew across the mountains causing leaves to fly in the air in a star-like pattern.

Darren drew in the reins, bringing his horse to a stop. He activated his divine sense to scan his surroundings. After a few seconds, he sensed several people on a mountain peak not far from him. Each exuded an enormously strong aura.

"They all are as strong as the elders of Ilmen Sect!" Darren exclaimed in shock as he felt their presence. Wasting no time at all, he held his breath and hid in the bush, hoping he could avoid being noticed.

Soon after, those masters landed a hundred meters away from Darren.

"Can't you keep a low profile? Why did you have to make a scene?" one complained. The group consisted of five people, and each carried a shining blade on their back. The aura emanating from them made Darren shiver with fear.

More importantly, they looked like they were in their early thirties, a young age for auras to be so great.

'Who are these people? How did they acquire such formidable power at such a young age? They must have reached the sixth or seventh stage of the Mysterious Realm!' Darren thought to himself, not daring to make a move or a sound. He stayed in the bush, still holding his breath. 'If I am caught observing them, I will be in a lot of trouble, ' he thought.

"I did this so that we can make it there early. James Mo is waiting for us," one explained with a grin.

"What do you think happened to James? Why did he summon us? If the steward finds that we left Blade Holy Land without permission, we will be punished heavily. A month ago, James entered the Wonder Realm. He is much stronger than us. What can we do for him?"

"I heard that James went out to help his niece with something important. Perhaps that's why he needs us. Stop complaining. Let's meet with James first."

...

The group of masters moved quickly. One moment they were there and in the next, they were gone. Darren couldn't track them at all. He only knew they had left when their voices suddenly disappeared.

However, Darren had overheard crucial information from their conversation.

First of all, they were from the Blade Holy Land.

Secondly, they had come here because of James Mo, a Wonder Realm expert. James had called them to help him with something.

Thirdly, the reason for their appearance had something to do with Ilmen Sect.

At this point, Darren was slightly restless. 'They are heading towards Ilmen Sect. The Elder of the School of Blade Skill, Alan is the only person whose family name is Mo. Does James Mo have something to do with Alan?'

"Looks like something is going to happen in Ilmen Sect," he muttered. With a scowling face, he exited the bushes and continued his way toward Ilmen Sect.

...

After several days, Darren finally returned to Ilmen Sect.

Disciples trained diligently as usual. Darren went straight towards Sword Mountain.

"Get lost, or I'll teach you a lesson."

A familiar, cold, and feminine voice reached his ears before Darren arrived at the foot of Sword Mountain.

Darren looked in the direction from which the voice came, and he saw Elsa standing on a path. Looking angry and distant, she was being besieged by several disciples from the School of Blade Skill.

"Elsa, I'm really in love with you," said a big ugly disciple with a ruddy complexion. "I see you in my dreams every night. Each time, I get up in the morning, I have to wash my sheets. Can you understand how much I like you?"

"He is telling the truth," said another as he took a whiff of her scent. "But I'm attracted to you too. I think about you so much that I can't sleep at night. Shouldn't you give me some kind of reward? Ha-ha."

They stared at Elsa with lewd eyes and tried to flirt with her. But she was having none of it. Their disgusting remarks had already ticked her off. Darren could tell that she was dying to beat them to the ground and take her leave, but she couldn't. After all, they were at the third or fourth stage of the Spirit Realm, far more powerful than her.

The sight of Elsa being bullied irritated Darren. But in the meantime, he felt confused. 'How can the disciples of the School of Blade Skill risk teasing Elsa? Her father is the Elder of the School of Sword Skill.

As Thomas' daughter, I can't believe her talent is so low. But even if her talent is only at level nine of the Yellow Degree, she should have reached the sixth or seventh stage of the Spirit Realm instead of the Primary Realm. After all, as someone who has grown up on this mountain, she should have received many cultivation resources.'

Darren also knew that Elsa hunted beasts in the outer mountains of the Barren Wasteland. It was strange then, as the child of an Elder of Ilmen Sect, she was so comparably weak to other disciples of similar backgrounds.

'Something must have happened to her, ' he thought.

Noting Elsa was angry yet helpless, the bullies became even more excited. They crowded around her, closing the space between them, and even attempted to touch her.

"Elsa, I dream about us every night. Please, just let my dream come true!" one said with lust and greed in his eyes as he reached out his hands to touch Elsa.

"Go away, you freak!" Elsa moved aside in a flash. Reaching her breaking point, she swung her sword at the disciple who had tried to touch her.

Clang!

One of the bullies parried her sword with his blade, knocking it from her hands. Then he jumped toward her, his hand open and outstretched.

He was so thrilled at the thought of touching her that his face turned bright red. 'I can finally take her! I've waited for this moment too long!' he thought.

A figure materialized from thin air between the man and Elsa.

The man who had tried to grab her was suddenly thrown back with potent force. He flew through the air, landing dozens of meters away. He had knocked down ten trees as he was tossed backward.

"What the hell? Who is-" another began to say as he looked upon who had appeared to save Elsa. Sweat immediately broke out on his forehead as he took in the figure.

Terror took over the faces of the others as well. 'Who is this boy? He is way too strong, ' they thought.

Staring at Darren's back, Elsa was astonished yet deeply intrigued. As far as she could remember, only Cody possessed such power among all the young disciples of the School of Sword Skill. But she could tell by his back that the person standing before her was just a teenager. 'It can't be Cody. Who is he?' she wondered, echoing the thoughts of the bullies but tinted with an opposite emotion.

"Are you all right, Elsa?" Darren inquired as he turned around.

"It's you, D-Darren."

The typical cold and indifferent expression on her face disappeared. Her voice carried a dash of delight and resounding surprise.

It had never occurred to her that Darren would have come to her rescue. 'I heard that he went to the Barren Wasteland and was eaten by a fiend. How is that he's still alive?

And not only alive. He seems stronger, much stronger. He defeated a cultivator at the fourth stage of the Spirit Realm with one move. What's going on?' Elsa was overwhelmed by questions.

But when she saw the simple, innocent smile on Darren's face, she was overjoyed and relieved.

"It's really you, Darren. I'm so glad to see you come back safe and sound," Elsa said, smiling.

"Brat, you'd better stay out of this, or we, the disciples of the School of Blade Skill will not spare you," one of the bullies warned. Although they were wary of Darren's strength, they weren't afraid of him. After all, they worked for Dalton, and they were certain no one dared to stand up to him.

"Get lost!"

With a shout, Darren stretched out his hand and opened his palm at the men. Internal force exploded from his palm and shot toward disciples of the School of Blade Skill. A moment later, they were blown into the air, blood spilling from their mouths as they dropped back to the ground.

Elsa was stunned at the scene.