Chapter 20: Arrivals One After Another
On the city wall of a prefectural city in the northern part of the Chaos Territory, Anke, Gates, and Bune stood like demon gods, wielding their terrifying great axes. The ground around them was littered with corpses, and blood had stained the bricks and stones of the city wall red.
The surrounding soldiers were terrified.
They no longer dared to resist, one by one dropping their weapons.
"Among the seven duchies, five are willing to surrender, and the previous one was easily conquered by us. You are the last." Gates grabbed the city wall garrison commander, his bull-like eyes glaring angrily at the trembling leader. "Damn it, if you don't have the strength, why resist? Are you trying to get your men killed, huh?"
It was indeed a death sentence.
The strength of the two sides was utterly incomparable. The three of them, Gates included, had already slaughtered a large number of the garrison troops.
The garrison commander was lifted entirely off the ground, trembling in fear as he said, "My lord, this has nothing to do with me. It was the Grand Duke's order."
"Fifth brother," Anke said with a smile. "Alright, let's go down first. Big brother and the others are waiting below, probably preparing the celebration wine. Conquering this prefectural city, along with the five that surrendered and the one we took earlier, means the task is complete!"
Gates and Bune both burst into laughter.
In just twenty days, including the Baruch Duchy, the eight duchies bordering the Dark Forest were finally unified, forming a new kingdom—the Baruch Kingdom. The Baruch Kingdom governed a population of nearly one hundred million, occupying nearly a quarter of the Chaos Territory's land.
This portion of the territory was the poorest, but it also had the most fierce and rugged populace.
The other wealthier regions of the Chaos Territory were respectively occupied by the Radiant Church and the Dark Church. From then on... the Chaos Territory formed a tripartite stalemate.
*******
Linley, the greatest genius in the history of the Yulan Continent, was about to marry Miss Delia of the Rhine family of the Yulan Empire! The wedding day would also be the official founding day of the Baruch Kingdom.
Time: Yulan Calendar 10010721.
Location: The future royal capital of the Baruch Kingdom—Baruch City (the expanded Blacksoil City).
This news spread like a whirlwind across the Chaos Territory, quickly reaching various regions of the Yulan Continent. Invitations were swiftly sent to all corners of the Yulan Continent... The eyes of countless people across the entire continent were suddenly focused on the Chaos Territory.
...
In the imperial capital of the Yulan Empire, inside the Rhine family's main hall.
If anyone held the highest status in the Rhine family now, it was not the clan leader, Deya Rhine, but Dixie Rhine!
Dixie was first the future clan leader. But more importantly, he was the personal disciple of the Yulan Empire's pillar, the High Priest. The High Priest was the pinnacle figure of human society on the Yulan Continent. In the minds of countless people, perhaps only the War God could compare to the High Priest.
A terrifyingly powerful being who had possessed divine-level strength since before the Yulan Era. Most of the High Priest's personal disciples could reach the level of Saint-level Magus!
A personal disciple of the High Priest, a future Saint-level Magus! And a dual-element Saint-level Magus!
At this moment, Deya Rhine was frowning as he held an invitation.
With shoulder-length, straight golden hair and an icy, aloof demeanor, that was Dixie. Dixie took the invitation, opened it, and examined it carefully. A rare smile appeared on his face. "This Linley, he didn't disappoint my sister."
"Dixie, what should we do?" Deya Rhine asked.
Dixie glanced at his father and frowned. "What do you mean, 'what should we do'? My sister has finally achieved the happiness she pursued for over a decade. Of course, we should offer our blessings."
Deya and his wife hesitated for a moment.
"Father, Mother, I know what you're thinking," Dixie said coldly. "Don't limit your perspective to the mortal world. What truly decides everything on the Yulan Continent... is the War God, the High Priest, and the many Saint-level experts."
Dixie had to admit that his parents' vision was too short-sighted.
"Dixie, my dear son, no matter how strong Linley is, can he affect our Yulan Empire?" Deya sighed. "After all, our family's foundation is in the Yulan Empire."
Dixie looked at his father. "Father, I must tell you, you underestimate Linley."
"Oh, what do you mean?" Deya asked.
Dixie said solemnly, "Actually, before I came home this time, my teacher gave me an order."
"Teacher? Ah, the High Priest!" Deya and his wife's eyes widened in shock. Good heavens, ordinary people like them could never see the High Priest in their lifetime, and now the High Priest had given their son an order!
They felt a sense of honor at this moment.
"The High Priest ordered me, along with two senior brothers, to go to the Chaos Territory and congratulate Linley on his behalf," Dixie said seriously.
Dixie himself didn't understand why the High Priest, at his level, would treat Linley so favorably. Dixie knew very well... that the War God and the High Priest were opposed to each other. Linley had a good relationship with the War God, so logically, the High Priest should have a bad relationship with Linley.
But it seemed...
The High Priest was instead showing goodwill toward Linley.
"The waters of the Yulan Continent run deep," Dixie sighed inwardly.
...
In the imperial capital of the Yulan Empire, inside the Hasting family estate.
"My lord, this is an invitation from Master Linley of the Chaos Territory," the butler said respectfully, handing the invitation to George. George had now been designated as the future clan leader of the Hasting family.
George took the invitation.
"Haha... Third brother, third brother, I didn't expect you to end up with Delia after all," George laughed heartily as he read it.
"What a twist of fate," George mused. He still remembered when they first entered the Ernst Institute of Magic, and Delia often spent time with Linley. Back then, when he saw Linley with Alice, he thought Linley and Delia would never be together.
Unexpectedly, after all these years, more than a decade had passed.
Linley and Delia had finally come together.
...
Everyone on the Yulan Continent who had some connection with Linley, or the leaders of major powers, received invitations. After all, this event was not just a wedding but also the founding of a kingdom, so naturally, leaders from other forces were also invited.
*******
From the day Linley took control of Blacksoil City, the city had been undergoing construction. By now, although Blacksoil City was relatively small in area, it was exquisitely built. The outskirts of Blacksoil City were currently undergoing large-scale expansion.
Among Linley's invited guests, the first to arrive at Blacksoil City were Wharton, Nina, Uncle Hillman, and Grandpa Hiri.
At this moment, in the main hall of the Blacksoil City lord's mansion, the atmosphere was warm and joyful.
"Big brother, Nina and I have decided that from today onward, we won't leave. We'll stay here with you," Wharton said with a big laugh. "You've been working so hard to expand the territory here, how could I continue to enjoy myself in the imperial capital? I'd be too embarrassed."
Linley was overjoyed.
When it came to managing the kingdom, Linley had no free time. He spent most of his time in cultivation.
"Wharton, I've been waiting for you to say that," Linley said with a smile.
Linley suddenly glanced at Nina's belly and asked Wharton in confusion, "Wharton, Nina's belly seems a little bigger. Could it be..."
Nina and Wharton exchanged glances and both laughed. Uncle Hillman beside them laughed heartily, "Linley, as expected of a Saint-level expert, your perception is sharp. Yes, Lady Nina is pregnant. Linley, you're falling behind on this. You'll have to work hard with Delia later."
Linley and Delia were both amused and exasperated.
"Sister Nina, have you thought of a name for the child?" Delia asked.
Nina nodded. "Yes, whether it's a boy or a girl, we'll call him Sini."
"Sini." Linley looked at his younger brother Wharton. "Does it have some special meaning?" Wharton grinned sheepishly, exchanged a glance with Nina, and then said mysteriously to Linley, "This is a secret between Nina and me. I won't tell you."
Linley slapped his forehead. "Ah, keeping secrets even from your big brother?"
The entire hall was filled with laughter and joy. Halfway through, Linley quietly pulled Wharton outside to the garden, where the two brothers were alone.
"Big brother, is something wrong?" Wharton asked once they were outside.
Linley looked at his brother and asked, "Wharton, I've always hoped you could live with me. Now that you're here, I'm truly happy. But... is Nina willing? Don't wrong her."
Wharton nodded. "Big brother, Nina and I talked for a long time, and she decided to come with me. Later, when she has free time, she can occasionally go back to visit."
"That's the only way," Linley said.
Linley smiled at Wharton. "Wharton, once the Baruch Kingdom is officially established and Delia and I are married, I will directly pass the throne to you." Linley said this now to give his brother time to prepare mentally.
Wharton was stunned. "The throne?"
"I have named the kingdom Baruch, so naturally, it must be passed down through the Baruch family," Linley had already made up his mind.
Wharton didn't refuse. "Alright then. After all, I'm only an eighth-level warrior now. It will probably take another twenty or thirty years to reach the Saint-level in human form. There's no point in focusing on cultivation during that time. I'll pass it on to my son or your son later." Linley understood Wharton's thoughts.
Wharton also needed to cultivate.
But understanding the realm required a clear perception of nature and the fluctuations of various elements. That required a high elemental affinity. Generally, mages were born with high affinity. Warriors, on the other hand, were not as fortunate; their elemental affinity was low.
Wharton was like that. He could barely sense nature now, making it very difficult for him to comprehend the realm.
Reaching the Saint-level was different.
Once one reached the Saint-level, their perception of the surrounding environment would become much clearer. They could then clearly sense nature and improve their realm. This was why it was so difficult for ninth-level warriors to reach the Saint-level! Only a few ninth-level warriors had high elemental affinity.
As for ultimate warriors, they didn't need to comprehend realms. As long as they cultivated their battle qi to a certain level, they would naturally reach the Saint-level.
...
After staying in Blacksoil City for three days, Linley and Delia left the city and entered the Blackwood Mountains, beginning their secluded cultivation life together. As for Bebe, he was now bored and would occasionally go with Hei Lu into the Dark Forest to hunt magical beasts.
******
In the azure sky, two streaks of light—one black, one white—were tearing through the air at incredible speed, heading toward Blacksoil City in the Chaos Territory.
The black streak was Usenor.
Usenor was wearing a black robe trimmed with gold thread today, his purple, eerie long hair flowing in the wind. Beside him was a robust, middle-aged man in a loose white robe. This sturdy man was an astonishing two and a half meters tall.
A height of two and a half meters was almost unheard of in human society.
His white robe fluttered in the wind, his green hair stood up like steel needles, and his face was resolute. On his forehead, there was a faint mark—the imprint of a white flame. The aura he occasionally emitted was enough to make people feel oppressed and tremble.
This man was none other than Lord Lei Ming, the commander of the Fanatic Legion.
As they flew, Usenor was still recounting Linley and Bebe's combat abilities to Lei Ming. "That's all, Lei Ming. You should have a rough idea now. How confident are you?"
Lei Ming glanced at him, a glint of light flickering in his eyes. His deep voice, which resonated in his chest, sounded, "Usenor, that man and beast are not as strong as you, yet you ended up in such a state. But then again, your single-target attack power isn't strong enough. You rely on the trickiness of your clone technique. As for me... I can kill both of them by myself."
Usenor knew that his single-target attack was indeed his weakness.
And Lei Ming was the type whose single-target attacks were exceptionally powerful.
"Ahead is Blacksoil City," Usenor said, pointing to the city below. "Next to it is the Blackwood Mountains. According to our intelligence, Linley spends most of his time there. We'll head straight to the Blackwood Mountains."
Lei Ming's eyes locked onto the Blackwood Mountains below.
Then, the two of them dove straight down toward the mountains.