Chapter 19: The Spirit of the Coiling Dragon Ring (Part 2)
The Puan Empire had a very long history, having been established over eight thousand years ago. It lasted for nearly three thousand years before ultimately being destroyed. The territory of the Puan Empire in its heyday was equivalent to the combined lands of the current Sacred Alliance and the Dark Alliance.
It could be said—
The twelve kingdoms and thirty-two duchies west of the Warcraft Mountain Range were all once part of the Puan Empire's territory. From this, one could imagine how vast the Puan Empire's lands were.
But the Puan Empire had been destroyed long ago!
"Over five thousand years ago?" The white-haired old man was momentarily stunned, then let out a sigh. "I couldn't accurately sense the passage of time inside the Earth Ring. I never expected that by the time I emerged from it, my homeland would have been gone for more than five thousand years."
"Old grandfather, what are you saying? I'm completely confused."
At this moment, Linley felt as if his head were filled with mush. This old grandfather had suddenly appeared, claiming to be a Saint-level magus from the Puan Empire, which had been destroyed over five thousand years ago. Could anything be more absurd and ridiculous than this?
Linley even suspected he might be dreaming.
"Little one." The white-haired old man looked at Linley and said with a smile, "The ring on your chest is the divine artifact I once used—the 'Earth Ring.'"
"Wait, wait!"
Linley immediately raised his head and said, "What Earth Ring? The ring on my chest is one passed down by my family's ancestors. It's called—the Coiling Dragon Ring!"
"The Coiling Dragon Ring? Its original name was the Coiling Dragon Ring?" the old man said in surprise.
Linley was taken aback.
"Original name? What original name?" Linley looked at the old man in confusion.
The old man chuckled and said, "Oh, the name 'Coiling Dragon Ring' must have been given by you or your ancestors. To be honest... when I first discovered this ring, I searched through all kinds of records but couldn't find its name. So I took the liberty of naming it the 'Earth Ring.' As for its original name, I don't know it either."
"Oh, so you named it yourself too, old grandfather. Well, now it's mine, so I'll call it the 'Coiling Dragon Ring.'" Linley was quite stubborn about it.
"Fine, fine, let it be the Coiling Dragon Ring." The old man smiled, not bothering to argue with Linley.
"Old grandfather, you said you came out of the Coiling Dragon Ring. What exactly happened?" Linley continued to inquire.
The old man smiled and said, "In the year 4280 of the Yulan Calendar, I..."
Hearing this, Linley was secretly shocked. "4280? This year is 9990."
"In the year 4280 of the Yulan Calendar, I encountered my old rival, the Saint-level magus 'Hamlin.' We fought each other. I didn't expect that another Saint-level powerhouse would ambush me from the shadows... In the end, I was defeated. I didn't want my soul to be captured by my enemy 'Hamlin' and suffer endless torment, so I sealed my soul within this Earth... 'Coiling Dragon Ring.'" The old man slowly recounted the events of that time.
"The Coiling Dragon Ring is extremely miraculous. On the surface, it emits no aura at all, yet its function rivals that of a divine artifact. I sealed my soul inside it, and Hamlin and the others searched for a long time without finding me—all thanks to the Coiling Dragon Ring." The old man said with a smile.
Linley nodded inwardly.
The Coiling Dragon Ring indeed appeared very ordinary at first glance. As the heir of an ancient family, Linley had some discernment.
Most treasures emitted some elemental aura. But the Coiling Dragon Ring was like withered wood.
"Old grandfather, you're saying that over five thousand years ago, you were ambushed by a Saint-level magus and another Saint-level powerhouse, and then sealed your soul inside this 'Coiling Dragon Ring'? And this Coiling Dragon Ring is a treasure comparable to a divine artifact?" Linley summarized.
"Yes." Seeing that Linley understood, the old man smiled and nodded.
"Then how did you come out of the Coiling Dragon Ring, old grandfather?" Linley looked at the old man in confusion.
The old man smiled and explained, "Actually, when I sealed my soul inside the Coiling Dragon Ring, I became a spirit within it, existing by relying on the ring. Unless someone becomes the new master of the Coiling Dragon Ring, I can never leave it."
"Become the master of the Coiling Dragon Ring?"
"Yes, by dripping blood onto the Coiling Dragon Ring." The old man laughed.
Linley frowned and muttered to himself, "Drip blood onto the Coiling Dragon Ring?" After thinking for a moment, Linley suddenly remembered that when a stone had hit his head and caused a wound, his blood had stained his clothes and neck, and it had probably also stained the Coiling Dragon Ring.
"Oh, so I am the master of the Coiling Dragon Ring." Linley nodded.
"Yes, once you became its master, I was able to come out and once again feel the breath of the Yulan Continent." A smile appeared on the old man's face. "By the way, little one, I already told you my name. What's yours?"
Linley gave a bright smile. "My name is Linley. Linley Baruch!"
"Linley, a good name." The old man smiled.
"Old grandfather, are you forever bound by the Coiling Dragon Ring, unable to regain your freedom?" Linley felt a pang of pity.
The old man nodded with a smile and said, "Linley, you need to understand that when ordinary people die, their souls enter the Netherworld! But when I died, as a Saint-level magus, my spiritual energy had already become substantial. I was able to briefly resist the Netherworld's call and take the opportunity to seal myself inside the Coiling Dragon Ring. Now, there is only one way for me to leave the Coiling Dragon Ring—by consuming all of my spiritual energy."
"Consume all of your spiritual energy?" Linley was somewhat puzzled.
"Spiritual energy is what humans call it, while the undead refer to it as 'soul force.' When spiritual energy is completely exhausted, the soul will automatically dissipate. In other words... when my soul dissipates, that is when I will be freed from the Coiling Dragon Ring's bondage." The old man said calmly. "But for now, it's fine. Although I am bound by the Coiling Dragon Ring and cannot leave more than three meters from it, it's still quite good."
Linley's heart trembled.
Suddenly, Linley felt a sense of pity for this old grandfather.
"Heh, Linley, I am already very content. You don't know... if my soul had been captured by 'Hamlin' back then, I would have wished for death." The old man sighed.
"Old grandfather, your name is Delin Kovat. Can I call you Grandpa Delin?" Linley suddenly said.
Delin Kovat was a great Saint-level magus during the Puan Empire era, ranking among the top five on the entire Yulan Continent at the time. It was only because the Saint-level magus 'Hamlin' and another Saint-level powerhouse had ambushed him treacherously that Delin Kovat had fallen.
However...
Delin Kovat had never had children or grandchildren in his life. Now, hearing Linley call him Grandpa Delin, his heart, which had been lonely for thousands of years, suddenly felt warmth.
"Good, good." Delin Kovat was overjoyed at this moment.
Linley's eyes suddenly lit up with surprise as he said, "Grandpa Delin, you said you were a Saint-level magus. Can you teach me magic?" Linley's heart was pounding. The person before him was a Saint-level magus from over five thousand years ago!
In Linley's mind, images surfaced: the massive body of the 'Swift Raptor,' the terrifying scene of 'Dance of the Fire Snake,' the endless boulders falling from the sky, and the proud figure standing atop a black dragon.
How he longed for the day—
When he too could stand on the head of a black dragon and soar through the heavens.
Delin Kovat's white beard twitched, and his eyes lit up. "Of course I can. Your Grandpa Delin is the greatest Earth-element Saint-level magus! And among all the schools of magic, Earth-element... is the most powerful!" Old Delin perked up completely when the topic turned to magic.