Chapter 53: The Liberator’s Fiery Rescue

By this time, the two guards stationed at the basement staircase had finally noticed something amiss. A faint scent of blood permeated the air.

The two drunken men sobered slightly, exchanging a tense glance before they cautiously stepped inside.

As they drew closer to the secret chamber, the scent of blood intensified, growing heavier with each step. One of the tall, thin guards swallowed hard, nervously nudging his shorter, fatter companion.

“You, you go in and see what happened,” the tall guard urged. “Why is it so quiet? It’s never been like this when those guys usually torture the slaves.”

“Why don’t you go?” the stout guard retorted, his voice rising. “Damn it, you always make me do all the dirty work. If I see something I shouldn’t, I’ll be dead for sure! Hurry up, let’s go together.”

He grabbed the tall guard’s wrist, pulling him closer to the wide-open secret chamber door. As they peered down, the scene within the chamber sent a shiver of terror through both of them.

“They’re… all dead?!”

The stout guard stared in disbelief at the scattered pile of corpses below. Even though they lay dismembered, some features were still discernible, allowing him to identify the victims.

“The Chief Steward is dead too! We’re finished, finished! That tyrant of Southern Faction City will surely send us all to be slaves. No, we have to run!”

The tall guard seized the stout guard’s hand, ready to flee the perilous place, but he found himself firmly rooted. The stout guard’s eyes burned with a fervent light as he pointed at the gruesome scene below.

“Running is a must, but these guys surely have some good stuff on them. If we take those things, we can change our names and become adventurers, wouldn’t that be great?! Come on, follow me down!”

While the two guards descended into the secret chamber, Zhang Luan had already arrived at a watchtower. At his feet lay the effortlessly dispatched bandit sentry. Since the magic-powered device’s energy had been completely drained by Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon, the bandit stronghold was now plunged into darkness.

Only a handful of ability users and mages illuminated their surroundings with their own powers. Additionally, some magic lamps, like the one in this watchtower, were powered by charged energy rather than being directly linked to the main magic device.

Consequently, these lamps became the sole sources of light in the gloom.

Zhang Luan took control of the watchtower. He found a map of the stronghold on the sentry’s body and located his destination: the s*ave quarters, situated on the western side of the bandit encampment.

This was where the bandits imprisoned the slaves they captured from the wilds. Those deemed unsightly were sold off directly, while women of good appearance were sent as tributes to Yikeduo, the tyrant of Southern Faction City.

Indeed, Yikeduo was the largest human trafficker in this region, with the vast majority of s*ave transactions orchestrated by him. This dark trade accounted for three-quarters of his entire income.

If Zhang Luan could eliminate this bandit stronghold, it would be akin to carving several wounds into Yikeduo’s face, letting his power bleed.

After locating the s*ave quarters, Zhang Luan leaped up, riding his Shattered Azure Righteousness Sword to the watchtower guarding the area. Before the sentry could react, Zhang Luan pushed a surge of Creation Force into his body.

After a brief struggle, the sentry collapsed on the spot.

He manipulated the lamplight to shine upon the s*ave quarters. Through the iron bars, which offered only narrow gaps, he could clearly see a group of people, their eyes devoid of hope, imprisoned within.

The other bandits seemed to have noticed the anomaly here, as several watchtower lights directly illuminated the area. Zhang Luan made no attempt to hide, allowing the light to bathe him.

He produced a copy of the Akamana teachings, adopting the guise of a divine charlatan, and smiled at the s*ave quarters.

“Do not be afraid. I have come to save you.”

[B-Rank Quest Triggered: The Liberator. Quest Objective: Liberate the slaves before you. Rewards will be granted based on the number liberated and their survival rate. Do you accept?]

Hearing the system’s voice, the smile on his face grew even more benevolent. Those imprisoned behind the iron bars looked at Zhang Luan, bathed in light, as if witnessing a true deity descending to earth. The divine spark in their eyes, once dim, instantly filled with brilliance.

If given the choice, who would willingly remain a s*ave? Who wouldn’t wish for a hero to descend from the heavens and lead them out of this dark world?

Having accepted the quest, Zhang Luan entered the s*ave quarters. Without a single wasted word, he used all-consuming Starflame to incinerate the guards, then melted the chains that bound the captives, releasing everyone.

The people expressed their profound gratitude to Zhang Luan, showering him with praises. Several believers of divine beings even hailed him as an emissary sent by the gods.

Zhang Luan, however, scoffed at such notions. How could gods possibly care for those who held no value? Believing in gods was pure nonsense; only a select few ever received divine assistance. As for the rest…

Hmph.

Outside the building, bandits had begun to converge. Waving their weapons, they stormed inside. These slaves were Yikeduo’s property, and if they failed to guard them, their own lives would surely be forfeit.

However, it was only when the first bandit who rushed in emerged, screaming and engulfed in flames, that the others realized the person inside was far from simple.

“Damn it, they might be a magic user or an ability user! Where are our mages and ability users? Get in there, what are you thinking?!”

Several mages brandished their rudimentary staves, summoning a horde of earth elemental mud golems, urging them to storm the building with their weapons. But before these creatures could even enter, Zhang Luan had already emerged from the s*ave quarters with over thirty people.

With a clap of his hands, a massive orb of Starflame, empowered by Creation Force, teleported above the mages’ heads. A rain of fire descended, instantly engulfing these weaker individuals.

“Follow me, and don’t stop!”

He wasn’t concerned for his own safety; even if every bandit in the stronghold attacked, they couldn’t stop him. However, the quest reward was calculated based on the number of survivors. He didn’t want to go through all this effort to bring them back only to gain nothing in return—that would be a futile endeavor.

He unleashed several bursts of Starflame, creating a protective barrier around the liberated slaves, while he himself plunged into the bandit ranks, fighting like a whirlwind. These bandits were generally low-level, offering meager experience and dropping only common, unranked items.

While he had a quest to eliminate bandits, slaughtering every single one would be troublesome. After all, people weren’t animals; they could run. So, Zhang Luan only intended to kill those he encountered. If they chose to flee, he wouldn’t bother chasing them, allowing them to depart.

Just as Zhang Luan led them to the main gate, a small boy walked up to him and tugged at his clothes, speaking in a sweet, childish voice.

“Handsome Big Brother… there’s another big sister in that room over there. Can you go save her?”