The morning sun's rays covered the land like sweet dew scattered by the Goddess of Nature.
On the training grounds of Dragon Blood Castle, dozens of people had gathered here. They had all come to see off Tulei's group and Desli's group.
"Lin Lei, now that this matter is settled, you'll be starting your secluded cultivation too, right? I'm afraid by the time we meet again, you'll have already stepped into the Divine Realm," Desli said with a smile.
Lin Lei chuckled. "Desli, Tulei, don't forget — Lord Belute said that you two could reach the Divine Realm in as little as a day or two. Who knows, you might even enter the Divine Realm before I do."
Tulei and Desli both laughed.
"All right then, we'll be heading out first." Under the watchful eyes of Lin Lei and the others, Desli, Tulei, and their group flew straight into the sky, eventually shrinking into a cluster of black dots on the horizon before vanishing entirely.
"Flying… If only I could fly too," said Taylor, who was standing behind Lin Lei, a hint of envy flickering in his eyes.
Lin Lei turned to glance at Taylor.
Cini, standing nearby, smiled. "Taylor, what's the rush? Train for a few more years. You're already eighth-rank — once you reach ninth-rank warrior, that makes you a Dragon Blood Warrior, and that's the Holy Domain! Then you'll be able to fly naturally."
"Taylor, who told you not to choose the Golden Dragon blood back then," said a beautiful blonde woman standing behind Lin Lei.
The once-adolescent Sasa had grown into a truly lovely young woman.再加上莎莎的身世背景 — combined with Sasa's prestigious background, she had attracted the pursuit of numerous noble youths in the Baruch Imperial City. Unfortunately, Sasa's standards were far too high, and she didn't give any of those nobles a second glance.
"All right, let's head back to the main hall first," Lin Lei said to Taylor and Sasa.
"Yes, Father." Taylor and Sasa immediately obeyed.
Although Lin Lei was never overly strict with Taylor and Sasa, the decade spent inside the Tombs of the Gods meant they had missed their father's entire period of growth. This left Taylor and Sasa with a deep sense of awe toward the father who had already become something of a legend in the Baruch Empire.
Inside the main hall.
A table stretching a full ten meters long dominated the center. Strong fighters — including the five Baruch brothers and Sesler — took their seats on both sides in order.
"Today's family gathering is probably the only time in recent years we'll have this many people together," Lin Lei thought to himself. He had already made up his mind — once he finished arranging the family's affairs, he would begin his secluded cultivation.
However…
Last night's visit from Lord Belute, along with that strange, abrupt warning, lingered in Lin Lei's mind. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that some crisis was lurking on the Yulan Continent, and that it was about to surface. Regardless, cultivation had to take priority. After all, sitting around and waiting was the most foolish thing to do — reaching the Divine level as soon as possible would benefit everyone around him.
After all, both Dilia and Bak had refined divine sparks. Even after becoming gods, they would be unfamiliar with how to use the Laws in actual combat.
The true fighting force rested with Lin Lei — and Bei Bei, who was about to reach maturity.
"Lin Lei, you're going into secluded cultivation?" Sesler caught on immediately.
Lin Lei gave a slight nod. "But before that, there are a few things I need to make clear. Cini."
"Uncle," Cini answered respectfully, listening attentively.
Lin Lei looked at Cini and spoke gravely. "Last night, I told you about the continental war. At the time, I was treating this war far too lightly. Now I need to remind you of several points. You must remember them!"
"Please speak, Uncle," Cini said deferently.
Dilia, the five Bak brothers, Wotton, Sesler, and the others all looked on with puzzled expressions.
"First: this time, our Baruch Empire is launching war together with the Yulan Empire and the O'Brien Empire to divide the world. Originally, our Baruch Empire's goal was to conquer the Loa Empire and the Eastern Steppe. Now I want you to slow down the pace of your advance. Don't rush. Don't be greedy. Even if we only conquer half their territory, or a third, or even less — that's fine."
Cini was instantly confused.
Last night, he'd heard clearly — in terms of Holy Domain strength, the three empires' alliance held an absolute advantage. This war had no variables to speak of.
"Uncle…" Cini couldn't help but speak up.
"Listen to me," Lin Lei said, his brow furrowing. Cini immediately fell silent.
Lin Lei continued, frowning with gravity. "Second: the goal of this continental war for our Baruch Empire is not conquest — it is to protect ourselves."
Cini grew even more bewildered.
"Last point: I can only hope that you exercise caution — and then exercise even more caution." Lin Lei understood clearly in his heart. "Everything must revolve around protecting ourselves."
What kind of being was Lord Belute?
For him to simultaneously command the Grand Priest, the War God, and himself — and to give Lin Lei such an explicit, pointed warning — this was undoubtedly something of enormous importance. Very few things in the world could command Lord Belute's serious attention.
"Did you hear me?" Lin Lei demanded.
"I heard you." Cini's brow was still creased. "Uncle, I just want to ask — this war hasn't even started and the outcome is already decided. So why are you…"
Nearby, Sesler, the five Bak brothers, and the rest of the group had understood as well.
They were all puzzled.
The Holy Island of the Church of Light had already been wiped out, and the Church of Darkness headquarters had been handled jointly by the War God's and Grand Priest's forces. If a real war broke out, victory was a foregone conclusion.
Lin Lei shook his head. "All I can tell you is that the danger lurking in this war is far greater than you imagine — even Divine-level experts dare not treat it lightly."
Every strong fighter in the entire hall felt a jolt in their hearts.
Divine-level experts?