Xise, sitting nearby, drained his cup of wine in a single gulp. "Go to Hell? Adkins and several of his mid-level gods are all dead, and now Lord Beirut is allowing only Qing Huo alone into the Tomb of the Gods. In that case, I'll go with you all too."
The Martial God and the High Priest said nothing, but everyone knew the Martial God intended to follow Tarosha.
"And you, Lin Lei?" Xise turned to Lin Lei. "You should come with us too. There's nothing left to enjoy on the Yulan Continent."
"Me?" Lin Lei glanced at Dilia beside him, then smiled at Xise. "I'm in no rush. You've all been cultivating for thousands of years — I've barely been at it for less than a hundred. Besides, Bei Bei is still in the Dark Forest."
"What a shame," Xise sighed.
Tarosha, Di Lin, the Martial God, and Xise began talking among themselves, discussing what lay ahead in Hell.
Lin Lei watched them, and he had to admit that deep down, he was envious.
"Hell…"
All Lin Lei had were boundless imaginings about Hell.
Three days after that evening banquet, Tarosha and the others prepared to leave the Yulan Continent's plane. A large crowd gathered at Dragon Blood Castle — Fain was there, as were Dikexi and several others, all come to bid their teachers farewell.
"You're even bringing your two sons, Di Lin," Xise said with a laugh.
Di Lin nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course!" Both of his sons were Six-eyed Golden Ni. Before Di Lin had entered the Tomb of the Gods, he had asked Lin Lei for a low-level godhood and given it to one of his sons. Later, when Di Lin emerged from the Tomb of the Gods, he had already become a mid-level god.
When many divine-level powerhouses from the Gobada Plane Prison descended, Di Lin had casually killed a low-level god and seized the godhood for his other son.
"Teacher." Dikexi and the others looked reluctant to part with the High Priest Catherine.
"Keep cultivating well," the High Priest said gently. "You are all Saints now. Once you reach the god-level, if you feel you no longer wish to remain on the Yulan Continent, then go to one of the Supreme Planes. That is where god-level powerhouses truly belong."
"Where will you go, Teacher?" Dikexi pressed.
"I am different from them — I intend to go to the Life Plane," the High Priest replied serenely.
"Now then, let us all depart." Tarosha surveyed the crowd and spoke.
Then, under the watchful eyes of Lin Lei and the others, the group of divine-level powerhouses flew off from Dragon Blood Castle, heading north at great speed toward the Arctic Ice Plains, and quickly vanished beyond the horizon.
"Xise, Di Lin — they've all left too," Lin Lei murmured. Dilia beside him stole a glance at him.
xxxxxx
The news that Qing Huo had entered the Tomb of the Gods alone spread quietly throughout the Yulan Continent before long. This had Lin Lei's endorsement from Beirut. Add to that the death of Adkins and the four mid-level gods under his command, and the impact on the divine-level powerhouses of the Yulan Continent was enormous.
Aside from a scant few, the majority of divine-level powerhouses departed the Yulan Continent and headed for the Supreme Planes.
Approximately sixteen years after Adkins's death, Wotton finally finished refining his low-level godhood, becoming a low-level god himself. Dilia, in the nineteenth year, finally completed her refinement of the Wind System mid-level godhood and became a mid-level god.
Late autumn of the year 10092 on the Yulan Calendar. Withered yellow leaves drifted lazily downward in slow spirals.
"Hummm~~" The entire world seemed to tremble faintly as a peculiar wave of fluctuation rippled outward. Lin Lei was very familiar with this sensation.
Standing beneath a tree, Lin Lei suddenly turned to look north, his brow furrowing. "Hm? Someone else has become a god through their own power?" That was the descent of the Laws of the World — and only by becoming a god independently would such a manifestation occur.
"Lin Lei, come to me." Beirut's voice resonated in Lin Lei's mind.
Lin Lei was puzzled but immediately flew out from Dragon Blood Castle, heading toward the Dark Forest.
The moment he stepped inside the metal castle, he heard a voice: "Boss!" Bei Bei's voice was loud and exuberant. Lin Lei looked up and couldn't help but be startled. "Bei Bei, you—" He realized with shock that he could no longer sense Bei Bei's aura.
Remembering the wave from the Laws of the World just moments ago, understanding struck him instantly. "Bei Bei, was that you just now?"
"That's right!" Bei Bei struck a proud pose with his hands on his hips. "Boss, I spent twenty years, and I finally comprehended the 'Darkness Element' profound mystery. I've grasped two types of law profound mysteries, so now I'm a mid-level god."
"Well, that's pretty impressive," Lin Lei said with a teasing grin.
Among the divine systems, the Wind System's elemental laws comprised nine types of profound mysteries, so one needed to comprehend three to become a mid-level god — or comprehend two and fuse them together. The Earth, Fire, Water, and Darkness Systems each had only six types of law profound mysteries. Comprehending any two was enough to reach mid-level god.
"Lin Lei, come in." A voice drifted from the sitting room not far away.
Lin Lei immediately entered the room together with Bei Bei. Beirut stroked his beard and looked at Bei Bei with a smile. "I gave you every advantage, and I even let you comprehend the simplest 'Darkness Element' profound mystery, yet you still took twenty years. If I'd had Lin Lei do it, he probably would've managed in a single year. And you're so proud."
"He's my boss, of course my boss is better than me," Bei Bei said without a care.
Beirut could only shake his head and chuckle. Then he turned to Lin Lei. "Lin Lei, sit down first." Lin Lei obeyed and took a seat.
Beirut sighed thoughtfully. "Lin Lei, how is your cultivation progressing? When do you think you'll reach mid-level god?"
"I can't say for certain myself. However, regarding the Laws of Earth, I've already fused more than half of the 'Earth's Pulse' and 'Earth Element' profound mysteries. I estimate that in a few more decades, I should be able to complete the fusion of both," Lin Lei said without holding back.
Beirut couldn't help but praise him. "Comprehending and fusing at the same time? Without rushing headlong into things — you truly are clever."
"That was Mr. Lei Lin's advice," Lin Lei said.
"Mm." Beirut let out a long sigh. "There are some things I should tell you now. Lin Lei, have you ever wondered why the Four Ultimate Warrior Families suddenly vanished?"
Lin Lei's eyes lit up.
"The answer is simple. The Four Ultimate Warrior Families were taken into Hell by powerhouses from that realm," Beirut said with a smile. "To be precise, your four Ultimate Warrior Families actually belong to the Four Divine Beast Families of Hell."
Lin Lei's heart jolted. "The Four Divine Beast Families?"
"The Four Divine Beast Families are the roots of your four Ultimate Warrior Families!" Beirut sighed. "Every member of these clans, if they wish to truly transform themselves, must return to their respective Divine Beast Family and undergo the Ancestral Baptism."
"Transform themselves? Ancestral Baptism?" Lin Lei's confusion only deepened.