It was deep into the night.
A group of people at Dragon Blood Castle were unable to sleep. When Lin Lei had departed to face the Grand Sorcerer in a life-or-death battle, Taylor and Gates and the others had not known about it—only Wotton and Sathers had been aware. But once Lin Lei left, Wotton and Sathers had told everyone.
Sathers had thought it through carefully.
If Lin Lei didn't come back, he would still have to tell Taylor and the others eventually.
If Lin Lei returned successfully, that would be wonderful news, and everyone should share in the joy.
Either way, it was better for everyone to know.
The great hall of Dragon Blood Castle was lit by candles, and a large crowd had gathered there. When they learned from Sathers and Wotton that Lin Lei had gone to fight a god-level powerhouse in a death match, they were stunned. All they could do now was wait anxiously.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps rang out.
"Mother? Why did you come out of seclusion?" Taylor, whose thoughts had been fixated on Lin Lei's battle with the god-level powerhouse, glanced up and cried out in surprise when he saw who it was.
"You're all here." Dilia forced a thin smile onto her face.
She had originally planned to wait patiently in the secret chamber of the miniature plane, but she found that she couldn't calm her mind. Her heart was filled with worry, so she had simply come out of seclusion. She wanted to be at Dragon Blood Castle when Lin Lei returned.
"Everyone knows?" Dilia looked around at the gathered people.
Wotton, Nina, Gates, the five Bark brothers along with their wives and children, Taylor and the others, Hillman, the steward Xili—they all nodded.
Dilia gave a slight nod.
The entire group was filled with anticipation and well wishes. They gazed up at the endless night sky, hoping to catch sight of that familiar figure.
"Don't worry, everyone. It's thousands of li from here to the Grand Canyon. Just the flight there and back takes quite some time," Wotton said soothingly.
"It's Father!" A joyful voice rang out—it was Sasha, who had been staring at the sky the whole time.
Everyone immediately looked up.
Sure enough, a figure in a sky-blue robe appeared in midair and drifted gently downward. Dilia, Taylor, Sasha, and the others rushed forward in excitement.
Seeing this large group of people, Lin Lei felt a surge of happiness in his heart.
"Dilia, Taylor, Sasha." A faint smile graced Lin Lei's face. He was, ironically, the calmest one among the entire crowd.
"My Lord Lin Lei, did you kill that god-level powerhouse?" Gates shouted excitedly from behind. Wotton, Sathers, and the others all looked at Lin Lei as well, and even Dilia was worried deep down—she feared that Lin Lei had escaped by sacrificing one of his bodies.
"Of course." Lin Lei broke into a broad grin.
Every face in the crowd blossomed with smiles.
"Fantastic!" Taylor was practically vibrating with excitement. "My father killed a god-level powerhouse! Nobody's sleeping tonight! I'll have people prepare fine wine and food right away. Tonight we feast and celebrate!"
"Absolutely, let's celebrate!" Gates bellowed in agreement.
The group was beside themselves with joy.
"Let's celebrate!" Lin Lei nodded with a laugh. Even someone as composed as he was couldn't help but be overjoyed. Before the battle, he had been restless with uncertainty, but now not only was he completely unscathed, he had also helped Yeru reclaim himself. Naturally, Lin Lei was delighted.
That night, Dragon Blood Castle was more lively than it had ever been.
The revelry continued until dawn began to creep across the sky, and only then did the crowd gradually disperse. Lin Lei and Dilia, however, had asked Sathers to stay behind.
In a parlor of Dragon Blood Castle, Sathers sat facing Lin Lei and Dilia. He had a vague premonition about why Lin Lei wanted him to stay, because he had already deduced that the god-level powerhouse practiced the Laws of Death.
Lin Lei had slain the Grand Sorcerer and would certainly have obtained certain items—items that others wouldn't be able to use.
"My Lord Lin Lei?" Sathers wore a broad smile, though his own fearsome appearance made even that somewhat unsettling. "You asked me to stay for...?"
Lin Lei tossed a spatial ring over without ceremony.
"Sathers, this spatial ring belonged to a god-level powerhouse. It should be far superior to the one you have. Drip blood on it to claim it. Go ahead and take out everything inside." Lin Lei trusted Sathers completely. In truth, if Sathers had deliberately kept some items hidden, Lin Lei wouldn't have known.
"Yes." Sathers accepted the spatial ring with trembling hands.
He didn't particularly care about the ring itself, but the items from a god-level powerhouse made his eyes gleam. After dripping his blood and binding the ring, Sathers waved his hand, and a massive pile of objects tumbled out, nearly filling half the parlor. Most of it consisted of plants, bottles and jars, along with some ores. Sathers' eyes lit up as he looked over the many treasures.
"A Soul Gold Pearl?" Lin Lei spotted a golden bead stored inside a transparent bottle. He could feel the rich spiritual energy emanating from it.
Through the Coiling Dragon Ring, Lin Lei stored the Soul Gold Pearl away. As for the golden liquid formed from refined soul essence, he had probably absorbed only about one percent of it so far. He estimated it would take half a year to absorb it all.
But Lin Lei could already feel the benefits of having his soul grow stronger.
"My Lord Lin Lei, many of the materials here are extremely valuable and quite beneficial for me. However, these two divine artifacts appear to be meant for warriors," Sathers said, pointing to two weapons he had laid out.
Lin Lei couldn't help but laugh.
The Grand Sorcerer hadn't merely possessed the black sickle—he'd had two additional divine artifacts as well.
"Sathers, would you like to become a god?" Lin Lei looked at Sathers with a playful half-smile. Dilia, sitting beside Lin Lei, was smiling just as warmly at Sathers.