The bitter wind howled, sweeping across heaven and earth, flinging countless ice shards about recklessly. In this world of freezing cold, icebergs soared skyward, polished smooth by countless years of wind "carving," their surfaces so glossy that, facing a wall of ice, one could even see one's own reflection.
Upon the tallest of these icebergs.
Eleven intricate, hexagram-shaped magic arrays covered its surface. Not far from these arrays stood an ice house. At this moment, a white-robed elder with hair and beard as white as snow emerged from it, his sky-blue eyes scanning the surroundings. "In this Arctic Tundra, it's hard to even see a single person! Over the years, fewer and fewer Saints come here. It seems I should take a trip outside, have a good tour of the Yulan Continent."
This person was
Just as Hogg was about to fly away, suddenly— He turned his head to look. One of the eleven magic arrays had lit up with dazzling radiance, beams of light shooting skyward, brilliant and breathtakingly dreamlike. Hogg was visibly shocked. "From the
Hogg knew all too well the staggering cost of a single teleportation. Even an ordinary Seven-Star Demon would likely hesitate to spend that much.
In the past, a group had come from his family, led by
That single teleportation of Sadista and his group had cost his family one trillion inkstones!
"Who could be so extravagantly wealthy?" Hogg wondered silently, involuntarily bowing slightly. How could he dare show anything less than respect to someone returning from the Infernal? Though he bowed, he kept his eyes fixed on the interior of the magic array, eager to see who had arrived.
Within the hazy light, six silhouettes gradually materialized.
The six figures solidified, and the magic array's light faded.
"Lin... Lin Lei!" Hogg stared at the six people before him, unable to believe his eyes.
"Hogg, it's been nearly two thousand years, and you haven't changed a bit," Lin Lei said with a faint smile.
Hogg's gaze swept over Lin Lei and his companions, his heart jolting with shock. "Three of these six... I can't sense their aura at all. Three of them are actually Upper Gods. Based on the teleportation cost... that would be a full three trillion inkstones." Hogg was stunned by this astronomical figure. "Lin Lei only went to the Infernal less than two thousand years ago. How did he become so powerful?"
The eight great families of the Radiant Temple had ceased their conflict with the Four Divine Beast families over two hundred years ago.
But Hogg was merely a minor figure in the Radiant Temple family. Living in the Yulan plane, he had no clear knowledge of the events in the Infernal. Naturally, he couldn't grasp... just what kind of status Lin Lei now held! Had he known Lin Lei was an Elder of the
"Lord Lin Lei, you are much stronger than before," Hogg said with deep respect. As a Mid-tier God, how could he not be?
Lin Lei turned his head to look at the boundless world of ice and snow. The vast heaven and earth was cold and silent, yet in Lin Lei's heart, warmth stirred, for this was his homeland!
"Wendy, this is the Arctic Tundra!" Lin Lei said, somewhat excitedly. "The Arctic Tundra of the Yulan Continent plane, the Yulan Continent... my home! After nearly two thousand years, I've finally returned! Finally returned, haha..." Overcome with emotion, Lin Lei couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
Dilia's eyes glistened with tears, tears of joy.
"Back at last... I wonder how my Lan family is doing, if my brother is well," Dilia said, also thrilled.
In the Infernal, nearly two thousand years had passed like a long dream. But the longer one stayed in that realm, the deeper the longing for one's hometown grew.
"Is this Father's home?" Wendy looked around curiously.
"We're not there yet, the Yulan Continent is still to the south," Lin Lei said with a smile. "Let's go, to the Yulan Continent. Mr. Hogg, we'll be going now." Amidst Lin Lei's laughter, a wave of Earth divine power enveloped the group, and they shot off at tremendous speed from the Arctic Tundra, heading straight for the Yulan Continent.
Hogg watched Lin Lei's group disappear into the distance, thinking to himself: "Back then, I just thought this Lin Lei was a genius. I never expected... in less than two thousand years, he could return from the Infernal. Terrifying, truly terrifying!"
The ability to return from the Infernal spoke of one's strength. Could an ordinary Upper God possess wealth in the trillions of inkstones?
The restrictions on flight in the Infernal were severe. Upon returning to the material plane, Lin Lei felt his flying speed increase dramatically, more than ten times faster than in the Infernal realm. He used his Earth divine power to envelop everyone, helping Irina and Wendy so the entire group could reach maximum speed.
After flying for a short while, Lin Lei saw the winding, elongated coastline of the Yulan Continent's northern shore from afar.
"Boss, we've reached the Yulan Continent!"
"That's the Yulan Continent?" Irina looked over curiously.
Lin Lei and Dilia both felt a faint flush rise to their cheeks, their excitement evident. After all, they had been separated for nearly two thousand years. Dilia turned to Lin Lei. "Lin Lei, where should we go first? To the Dark Forest, or to Dragonblood Castle?"
Lin Lei let out a soft sigh.
"After all this time, I haven't paid my respects at my father's grave. Let's go to the ruins of
"Wushan Town, yes, let's go to Wushan Town," Bei Bei echoed.
"I was born in Wushan Town," Bei Bei said, turning to tell Irina and Nia.
Wushan Town held immense significance for both Lin Lei and Bei Bei. It was the beginning of their lives.
"Okay! Let's go to Wushan Town. I want to see it!" Irina cheered immediately.
"That Wushan Town... it's probably still crawling with Magic Beasts," Lin Lei sighed. "Nearly two thousand years have passed. Who knows what it looks like now." Two thousand years was simply too long. Enough for countless things to happen.
"Father, I want to see our ancestral home too," Wendy said, filled with anticipation.
"Then... let's set off."