A gentle breeze blew, stirring the tips of Lin Lei's hair as he sat quietly on the ground, eyes closed in deep meditation. His mind was perfectly attuned to the earth, to the wind.
"Rumble rumble..." Lin Lei sensed the flow of scorching magma deep beneath the earth's surface.
"Whoosh whoosh..." He felt the shifts in the wind speed high above; the winds at high altitude were fierce, but inside his courtyard in the imperial capital, they were much gentler. Every change in the wind was reflected in his mind.
Lin Lei relished this cultivation. Every insight, every breakthrough, was a sublimation of the soul, a transformation of the spirit. That sense of wonder was breathtaking.
"What the War God said might be true—focusing one's efforts on a single path. The Laws of the Earth are vast and boundless, and this 'Earth Pulse' is likely one of its more profound aspects," Lin Lei realized.
That Hedson had also comprehended the Laws of the Earth, but his path was different from Lin Lei's. Yet Lin Lei's vibration wave attack was clearly more effective.
"Dong!" "Dong!" The earth's unique pulse captivated Lin Lei once more, drawing him back into a state of profound comprehension as he strived to unravel its mysteries.
xxxxxx Ever since his battle with Hedson, Lin Lei had become one of the universally acknowledged peak powerhouses on the entire Yulan Continent, standing alongside figures like Hedson, the Pope of Light, and the Pope of Darkness. In the imperial capital, Cilai City, the status of the
Naturally, despite his great fame, few dared to disturb him.
"Every time I delve into comprehension, I experience different feelings." Lin Lei opened his eyes, an involuntary smile gracing his face. He marveled inwardly, "Even the Earth Pulse is so profound and unfathomable—just how vast must the 'Laws of the Earth' be?"
No wonder reaching the Divine realm was so difficult. Even someone as remarkable as the War God, who had been a Low-level God for over five thousand years, remained at that level.
"Brother!" Wotton and the five Bak brothers came running over.
"I knew you'd be coming." Lin Lei smiled and stood up. While perceiving the Earth Pulse, he naturally sensed when Wotton and the others approached.
After the group finished lunch...
"Seysler." Lin Lei stood up directly, called out to Seysler with a smile, and led him to his courtyard. The two sat facing each other.
"Lord Lin Lei, is there something the matter?" Seysler asked, confused.
Lin Lei's expression grew complex. He sighed, "Seysler, you must know about my Baruch Family's affairs by now." Having spent so much time at the Baron's manor, Seysler naturally knew everything. He nodded immediately.
Lin Lei said calmly, "My parents were killed. The culprit was the Church of Light. That day, when I left Hesh City, I swore an oath that one day I would uproot the Church of Light."
Seysler knew this was Lin Lei's goal.
Lin Lei looked at Seysler. "I know my own strength is steadily improving. Especially when adding
"You're starting?" Seysler was startled. Lin Lei intended to move against the Church of Light formally?
"Lin Lei, our strength is considerable. However, the Church of Light has deep roots..." Seysler hurriedly tried to dissuade him. Though he also wanted to destroy the Church of Light, they had to be sensible.
Lin Lei smiled and waved his hand. "No, I'm certainly not in a rush to confront them head-on."
"I recall you mentioning the Kingdom of Chaos before, saying the Church of Light attaches great importance to it? And that their power there is formidable?" Lin Lei then inquired.
Seysler was over eight hundred years old and had lived in the Kingdom of Chaos for a long time back in the day.
"Of course they value it!" Seysler explained in detail. "Lin Lei, based on my understanding of the Church of Light, besides offering pure souls to the Light Sovereign, what the Light Sovereign truly needs is sufficient faith. The more believers, the more faith. The Church of Light constantly preaches 'letting the Lord's light shine upon vaster lands'—that is precisely their purpose."
Lin Lei nodded slightly.
Seysler counted on his fingers. "Lin Lei, across the entire continent, the relatively chaotic places are only the Far Eastern Grasslands, the Kingdom of Chaos, and the Eighteen Northern Duchies!"
"Among them, the Far Eastern Grasslands are mired in constant warfare; their cavalry is known for cruelty. Warlike blood flows in their veins—how could they ever believe in the Church of Light? The nature of the grassland warriors makes it impossible for the Church of Light to succeed there." Seysler spoke at length. "As for the Eighteen Northern Duchies, they actually worship the Goddess of Ice."
"The Goddess of Ice?" Lin Lei indeed didn't know much about the Eighteen Northern Duchies.
"Yes." Seysler nodded. "Although the Eighteen Northern Duchies fight among themselves, the Temple of the Ice Goddess holds absolute dominion over them. And the Temple of the Ice Goddess is unfathomably deep... Besides, the Temple has no ambition, always keeping itself confined to the Eighteen Northern Duchies. Naturally, the Church of Light wouldn't provoke such a powerful enemy."
Lin Lei smiled. He had always been somewhat puzzled... The Eighteen Northern Duchies were located north of the Dark Forest. Their only bordering nation was the
So why hadn't they conquered them?
Lin Lei now understood—it seemed to be related to the Temple of the Ice Goddess.
"Those two places are impossible. That leaves only the Kingdom of Chaos!" Seysler sighed. "The Kingdom of Chaos is extremely chaotic. Terrifyingly so."
"How so?" Lin Lei asked.
Seysler explained, "First, it was estimated once that the Kingdom of Chaos contained forty-eight duchies. Of course, that was a count from the past. In the Kingdom of Chaos, wars are frequent. Every few years, the number of duchies changes. Perhaps there are fifty-some now, or maybe only forty. It's hard to say. That's the first chaos."
"The second chaos is the surrounding environment. They border the O'Brien Empire, the Loar Empire, and the Far Eastern Grasslands. All three great powers have designs on them!"
"The third chaos is that both the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness have always been attempting to conquer the Kingdom of Chaos. Within the Kingdom, these two possess the greatest strength and the widest influence. The two great churches are natural enemies, locked in endless conflict with each other."