Chapter 25: Twelve Years Pass in a Blink
Within the Radiant Church, on the Sacred Island, on the ninth floor of the Radiant Divine Temple.
Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, Haintz had a trace more worry etched between his brows. Back then, Linley had made that agreement with the Radiant Church, which had allowed the Radiant Church to breathe a sigh of relief. After all, without the assistance of other ultimate warriors, and with that terrifying magical beast rat helping him, Linley's threat alone wasn't that great.
But they had only been at ease for nine years.
Because in the ninth year after Linley's marriage, the Radiant Church's spies discovered a secret – Linley had already reached the Saint realm in his human form.
"Haintz." An icy voice sounded. With an eerie, flowing mane of purple hair, Osenno appeared in this ninth-floor room.
Haintz didn't turn around, saying indifferently, "Osenno, is there something?"
Osenno had a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Haintz, many of our Church's experts have been stuck on the Sacred Island for three full years now. For these three years, you've ordered us not to leave the Sacred Island without permission. Haintz... is it just because of Linley that we're acting like this?"
"And Haintz, you need to understand: this intelligence was only obtained by our intelligence agents overhearing Linley's son and Wharton's son talking in the royal palace. That Linley reached the Saint realm in human form. What children say isn't necessarily true!" Osenno said discontentedly.
Because of the intelligence – that Linley had reached the Saint realm in human form – Haintz had ordered Osenno and the others not to leave the Sacred Island.
Haintz still had his back to Osenno, saying calmly, "Osenno, first of all, Wharton's son 'Sini' is a very steady, meticulous young man. What he said should be true... Second, back when Linley was hiding in the O'Brien Empire's Northwest Province, he had already reached the ninth rank. Now, over ten years have passed. According to the cultivation speed of a Dragonblood Warrior, Linley should have reached the Saint realm in his human form by now."
Haintz suddenly turned around, staring at Osenno.
"You should be clear about Linley's strength. Twelve years ago, he was only slightly inferior to you. Now, his human form is at the Saint realm... his strength has increased more than tenfold compared to the past. Even if his level of insight hadn't improved at all, he could still defeat you. Do you believe that in twelve years, Linley's level of insight hasn't improved even a little?" Haintz retorted to Osenno.
Osenno fell silent.
Linley's cultivation speed. They all knew it.
Twelve years. Linley's insight hadn't improved? Who would believe that?
The ancestors of the Baruch family back then, upon reaching the Saint realm Dragonblood Warrior level, had only cultivated to the level of 'Force'. But relying on the terrifying defense and power after reaching the Saint realm, they could contend with the most powerful Saint-level magical beasts.
And Linley?
His strength and battle qi were not inferior to his ancestors, and combined with his profound level of insight into the laws, he was even more terrifying than the ancestors of the Baruch family.
"Haintz, the defense of the Sacred Island doesn't really need me, does it?" Osenno asked.
"Osenno, if you really want to leave the Sacred Island... I won't stop you," Haintz said coldly. "If you leave the Sacred Island, you'll have to bet that Linley won't discover you and hunt you down! Of course, your escape skills are high. But whether you can escape with your life from Linley, I can't say for sure."
Osenno possessed Shadow Clone and was also fast.
But whether he could escape from Linley with his life was only a fifty-fifty chance.
"Hmph, fine. Once I've cultivated my Shadow Clone to the pinnacle, I'll go and have a fight with this Linley," Osenno snorted coldly. His form flickered and vanished from the ninth-floor room. Although he said this, he had clearly backed down.
A bitter smile also appeared on Haintz's face.
Monitoring an expert of Linley's level was almost impossible. Linley's flying speed now was much faster than before. Even crossing the entire Yulan Continent wouldn't take half a day. At such a speed... chasing down someone would definitely catch the opponent off guard.
*******
In the Yulan calendar year 100125, the 'dance' of the season made the spring outing crowd feel relaxed and happy. At this moment, two luxurious carriages, escorted by a squad of elite cavalry, were traveling through the countryside.
"Your Majesty, Black Crow Mountain has arrived!" a knight respectfully announced in front of the second carriage.
Then, a couple and a young boy stepped down from the luxurious carriage. This couple was Wharton and Nina. Wharton had become much more mature than before. As the king of the Baruch Kingdom, and with his strength advancing by leaps and bounds, Wharton also possessed the aura of a powerful expert. Nina had lost her past immaturity, was plumper than before, and even more charming.
As for the young boy in front of them, he looked twelve or thirteen years old, seemed very gentle, and had a refined feeling. This young boy was Wharton and Nina's son – Sini Baruch.
"Wow, we're at Black Crow Mountain!" An excited voice came from beside the front carriage. A very lively young boy jumped down from the carriage.
"Taylor," Sini called out with a smile.
"Brother," Taylor also ran over cheerfully. Taylor was also quite handsome. But he was much more lively than Sini.
At this moment, a beautiful woman and a pretty young girl also got down from the front carriage. They were Delia and her daughter 'Sasha'. Sasha and Taylor looked very similar. The siblings were actually fraternal twins, but Sasha was born a little earlier than Taylor, so Taylor had to settle for the position of 'younger brother'.
Sini was twelve years old this year, while Sasha and Taylor were both ten.
"We're going to see Father soon. I haven't seen Father for over half a year," Taylor said, looking very excited. There was also a look of anticipation in Sini's eyes. As children of the Baruch family, they deeply admired the pillar of the entire Baruch family – Linley.
In the Baruch Kingdom, countless citizens also worshipped Linley. It was no exaggeration to say that Linley was the spiritual pillar of the entire Baruch Kingdom.
Although twelve years had passed, Delia's appearance hadn't aged at all. Instead, she had gained a kind of... aura. Delia looked at her two children beside her, a happy smile on her face. The peaceful, happy life of these years had truly made Delia content.
She looked back into the distance at Baruch City.
The capital, 'Baruch City', had long been expanded, with a permanent population of over a million. Thanks to the immense wealth Linley had plundered from the Fenlai Kingdom back then, the Baruch Kingdom had easily gotten through the difficult early years. Now, the entire kingdom had entered a normal development track.
Looking up at Black Crow Mountain before her, Delia's heart had already reached Linley.
"Wharton, Nina. Let's go up the mountain," Delia said with a smile. "Taylor, Sasha, Sini, keep up."
"Got it," Taylor replied loudly.
His sister 'Sasha' was very quiet. The elite knights all stopped at the foot of Black Crow Mountain. Delia, Wharton, Nina, and the three adults and three children went up Black Crow Mountain together. Black Crow Mountain was still as beautiful as ever.
Following the stream, they finally saw a lake in the distance.
In the middle of the lake, there were already three large, flat boulders. The central boulder was placed there by Linley long ago, and the stone house was naturally built long ago. As for the other two flat boulders, Linley had placed them after his marriage for his family to use when they occasionally came to stay.
A figure in light blue was sitting in the middle of the lake, fishing.
"Father!" Taylor's cheerful voice rang out from afar.
The light blue figure turned around. It was Linley. Compared to the past, Linley only had a bit more of a mature aura. The whole person seemed to be completely integrated into nature from afar. Linley immediately stood up and laughed heartily: "Haha, Taylor!"
Linley's action of standing up gave people a feeling of riding the wind away, yet also an extremely steady feeling. Two completely opposite feelings were fused into one person. Without seeing him in person, it was impossible to imagine.
Linley waved his hand –
"Boom!" A part of the flowing water actually stopped and solidified into a water bridge. The rest of the water continued to flow. Taylor, Sasha, and the others, very familiar with this, directly ran over across this 'water bridge'.
The water bridge was as solid as a real object.
If one observed carefully, one could notice subtle currents of air swirling on the surface of the water bridge.
"Taylor, come here, let me hold you," Linley said happily, scooping Taylor into his arms. Beside him, Sasha immediately looked at Linley with her pure, flawless eyes. Linley immediately reached out and hugged his precious daughter as well. "Taylor, Sasha, you haven't seen your father for over half a year. Have you missed me?"
"Yes," Taylor said quickly. "Every day."
A bright smile bloomed on Linley's face. He could now fully understand the care Grandpa Doehring had shown him back then, and the deep, hidden love his father had shown him beneath a strict exterior.
"Oh~ Taylor, Sasha, Sini, you're here!" A cheerful voice came from the distant sky. A black shadow flashed and arrived in the middle of the lake. It was the magical beast 'Bebe', whose body had grown to a full two meters in length.
Seeing Bebe, Linley couldn't help but smile.
In front of the 'younger generation' like Taylor, Sasha, and Sini, Bebe always made his body a bit bigger. According to Bebe, 'If the body is too small, it doesn't have the aura of an elder.'
"Uncle Bebe," Taylor immediately jumped down from Linley's arms and hugged Bebe.
When they were little, Bebe often played with Taylor.
Wharton said cheerfully, "Brother, let's all sit down first and chat while we eat. I've brought a lot of delicious food." Saying this, the whole family sat around a rectangular stone table and took out the prepared dishes from their spatial rings.
Halfway through the meal.
"Brother, have you heard about that great battle that happened in the O'Brien Empire?" Wharton asked.
Linley said, "Oh, you mean the battle half a month ago where Olivieri challenged Hudderson?" Olivieri had already returned from the Arctic Icefield. This time, he returned with an absolutely dominant momentum.
Wharton exclaimed in admiration, "Yes, just one sword strike. One sword strike killed Hudderson, who was famous for his defense. Truly terrifying."
"Hudderson? The Hudderson who fought with my father at Mount Tujiao?" Taylor immediately looked up and asked. This little guy was extremely obsessed with Linley and knew all of Linley's famous battles by heart.
Linley smiled and nodded.
Delia beside him also exclaimed, "This Olivieri is really formidable. Just one sword strike! Hudderson's defense was famous. Killed with one sword strike..." Delia also sighed in amazement. Sini beside him suddenly looked at Linley and asked, "Uncle, if you fought Olivieri now, could you beat him?"
Linley smiled faintly.
"Olivieri's rate of progress has exceeded my expectations. In just twelve years, he could kill Hudderson with one sword strike. Without a direct match, it's hard to say who would win or lose," Linley said with a smile.
"Boss, why are you being so modest?" Bebe was displeased. "Hudderson's defense back then was comparable to yours. Now? Just your Saint realm transformation alone, the defense of your dragon scales is a notch higher than the 'dragon scales plus Pulsating Defense' from back then. Your current 'Pulsating Defense' is more than ten times stronger than before. That Olivieri is nothing in front of you. Even those second-tier guys like Osenno don't dare to provoke you. I reckon... only those five Saint realm ultimate experts could compare with you."
Wharton also said, "Brother, you are the strongest Dragonblood Warrior in our family's history. Why are you still being modest?"
Wharton and the others knew how terrifying Linley was now.
Twelve years of hard training, his comprehension of the Laws of the Earth and the Laws of Wind had already left Wharton and the others utterly astounded.