Chapter 64: Gathering from All Sides
The sky was dim, the black earth parched and dry.
This was the Ashbell Wasteland in the northern part of the Netherworld. On the wasteland, one could also see skeleton tribes and zombie tribes. The undead mostly moved in groups; very few dared to act alone.
Suddenly, the slowly shambling zombies all turned their heads to look in one direction.
A rhythmic rumbling came from the ground. "Roar—" A golden-furred zombie raised its head and let out a roar, and instantly the entire zombie tribe began to move quickly. But in just a moment, over a dozen black shadows raced at extreme speed from the distant earth. These dozen or so black shadows were Black Knights, relatively powerful among the undead.
Among the Black Knight race, the weakest were at least Level Five undead.
This Black Knight squad consisted of nineteen members. The leader was a man clad in blood-red armor, his face also hidden by a visor. His cold, sharp gaze swept across the surroundings through the visor. Those weaker undead had long since fled in terror, but the Black Knights' speed was fully capable of chasing them down.
"Ahhh—" The leading Black Knight raised his head and let out a roar, as if venting something.
The eighteen Black Knights behind him were very puzzled. Their lord was a powerful Saint-level Black Knight. In the Netherworld, he was a king-level figure, possessing his own castle and commanding a large number of Black Knights under him. Yet today, this king was leading his subordinate Black Knights in a mad dash across the plains.
A venting, aimless run!
"Alright, let's go back," the Black Knight leader said indifferently. "Yes, my lord."
The nineteen Black Knights galloped back along their return path. On the Ashbell Wasteland, every Saint-level was considered a peak powerhouse. This Black Knight was one of the few newly risen strong figures on this wasteland.
"I... I've actually recovered my past life's memories? How is this possible?" This Black Knight leader was filled with shock and confusion deep in his heart.
"I... can I ever return to the Yulan Continent plane?" the Black Knight leader silently asked himself in his heart.
"My sons, Linley and Wharton. How are they now? Over two thousand years have passed. Have they become Saint-level Dragonblood Warriors, or have they failed to reach Saint-level and become undead instead?" The Black Knight leader's heart was extremely complicated. Ever since regaining his memories, his mind had not stopped for a single moment.
This Black Knight leader was none other than Linley's father—Hogg!
Ever since regaining his past life's memories, Hogg's heart could not find peace. He worried about his children. He also thought about avenging his wife. But he understood that over two thousand years had passed; Duke Patterson of the Fenlai Kingdom had probably died of old age by now.
In the blink of an eye, over forty years had passed since Hogg regained his memories.
On the Black Knight castle, Hogg, still clad in his blood-red armor, sat atop the castle peak, looking up at the dim sky. Suddenly, a figure flew at extreme speed from the south.
"Hmm?" Hogg was startled.
"Whoosh!" The newcomer dove straight down, moving incredibly fast.
"Who is it!" Hogg let out a low shout.
"Clang!" Almost simultaneously, a large number of Black Knights inside the castle stood up.
"Hahaha..." The newcomer let out a laugh, and at the same time, a terrifying pressure emanated from him. A powerful divine might instantly enveloped the entire castle. All the Black Knights inside felt as if doomsday had arrived, and they knelt down in terror one by one. It was an absolute gap in level.
Hogg looked up at the person before him. The newcomer had silver short hair and a baby face, looking like a youth.
"Hogg?" the youth said casually.
Hogg was greatly alarmed!
Before he had recovered his memories, he didn't even know his own name was Hogg. In Hogg's view... besides himself, probably no one in this world knew his true identity. Yet this person directly called out his name. "Who are you?" Hogg stared at the newcomer. "Was it you who restored my memories?"
"I don't have that kind of power," the youth said with a light laugh. "Restoring an undead's memories is something only a Sovereign can do. Come with me!"
"Sovereign? I—" Before Hogg could retort, a surge of divine power directly bound him. The youth then forcibly abducted Hogg and flew rapidly southward. The youth muttered to himself, "This undead was so far away. From the Abyssal Plane to here, and then to the Nether Mountain, it's really quite a distance."
The large number of Black Knights in the castle could only stare blankly as the newcomer abducted their king, powerless to do anything.
Whether it was Linley's father, or Yale, George, Dixie, and the others, including Bebe's parents, they were all taken away by people arranged by the Sovereign of Death.
At the foot of Nether Mountain, inside an independent courtyard of the Nether Hotel.
Linley sat on a chair, while Bebe stood beside him, frowning. "Boss, we've been here for over ten years, and we still haven't seen anyone. How much longer do we have to wait?"
Linley and Bebe had arrived at Nether Mountain long ago, but there was nowhere to stay on the mountain itself. The Sovereign of Death had told them to stay in this hotel. But who would have thought that this wait would last over ten years, and Linley hadn't seen a single person yet.
"Wait patiently," Linley said calmly, sitting in his chair and flipping through a book. "The Sovereign is arranging for people to fetch Yale and the others. They're in different places. My father and the rest are even in the Netherworld. Flying from there to here takes quite a while. It's not that they're slow; it's that we flew from the Nine Nether Domain to Nether Mountain too quickly."
Although they had traveled in a metallic lifeform, Linley had used his Willpower to greatly increase its speed. In less than ten years, they had gone from the Nether Sea's Nine Nether Domain to Nether Mountain.
Suddenly—
Linley abruptly looked up toward the sky. Bebe looked at Linley in surprise. "Boss, what's wrong?"
"A powerful aura," Linley said in a low voice. In the Netherworld, Linley's control over the world was stronger. After all, the Netherworld's space was weaker than the Planar Battlefield. Sensing a powerful being approaching, he immediately spread his divine sense...
A hundred miles away, a golden, fish-shaped metallic lifeform was flying. Inside were George and a purple-robed, golden-haired man.
George glanced at this purple-robed man. "This Seven Star Fiend, Bevelli, says he's following the Sovereign's orders to fetch me. But why the Sovereign wants to see me, he doesn't know at all." George himself didn't understand. He was just a minor Deity-level nobody, countless in the Netherworld. Why would a Sovereign want to see him?
"We're here!" Bevelli said.
The metallic lifeform instantly dissipated, and Bevelli and George stood in midair.
"Second bro!" An extremely excited voice rang out. At the same time, a figure appeared right in front of George and Bevelli.
"What speed? I'm a Seven Star Fiend, and I didn't even have time to react!" Bevelli was stunned. He didn't know that even Commander-level powerhouses struggled to react to the speed of a Paragon. Let alone an ordinary Seven Star Fiend like him.
George's body trembled as he looked at the person before him.
A familiar figure, a familiar face, a familiar smile...
"Third bro!" George's face flushed with excitement. He immediately rushed forward and hugged Linley tightly.
"Haha, Second bro. Finally, I've seen you," Linley said, hugging his brother tightly before letting go. Seeing his close friend from their youth, Linley was deeply moved.
"Third bro, you... how are you here?" George quickly regained his composure.
Bevelli, however, bowed slightly toward Nether Mountain and then turned and left directly. George was surprised. "This Bevelli, a Seven Star Fiend, was supposed to take me to see the Sovereign. Why is he leaving?"
"It was I who asked the Sovereign to arrange for them to bring you here," Linley said with a smile.
"Third bro, you asked the Sovereign?" George was shocked.
Having lived in the Netherworld for so long, George knew the hierarchy here. The highest-level figures, like the Lords of the Infernal Realm and the Overlords, were mere ants in the eyes of the Sovereigns. To ask a Sovereign for help... the relationship between a god and a Sovereign was like that between a mortal and a god. A mortal asking a god to do something? It was simply inconceivable.
"Haha, what's so special about that?" Bebe popped up from the side and said with a grin, "George, in a while, Yale and Dixie will all be coming too."
"Big bro Yale?" George looked at Linley in disbelief. "Third bro, you actually asked the Sovereign to arrange for people to find so many? This... what exactly is your relationship with the Sovereign?"
"Come on, let's go back first," Linley said with a smile.
George's original location was closest to Nether Mountain, so he arrived the fastest. Soon after George arrived... Dixie also came! Then came Bebe's parents, followed by Yale.
George and Dixie had died before Yale, so they didn't know about Yale's grievances. But after arriving at the Nether Hotel and hearing Linley and Bebe's account, they learned what had happened on the Yulan Continent after their deaths. After hearing it, they couldn't help but burn with anger.
"Third bro! Second bro! You're here?"
When Yale arrived and saw Linley and George, he was overjoyed.
"Big bro Yale," Linley and George said, stepping forward to meet him. The three brothers hugged. Thinking of the suffering he had endured over so many years, and now seeing his brothers again, Yale couldn't help but shed tears.
"I never imagined!" Yale's eyes were moist, but his face was full of excited smiles. "I thought death was the end of everything. But who would have thought... that I, an undead, could recover my past life's memories and be specially brought here. Letting us three brothers reunite. Third bro, I have to thank you. You've given me hope again—hope to continue the Dawson family, hope for revenge!"
Beside them, Dixie also sighed with emotion. "The Netherworld is full of dangers. I had cultivated a divine clone and had just entered the Netherworld region when I died. Luckily, I was cautious and left my Saint-level true body in the Netherworld. I thought I would end my life in fear and slaughter. Linley, thank you."
Back in the Ernst Magic Academy, Dixie and Linley had once been called the academy's twin stars.
And now...
That young mage had gained immense influence, even to the point of moving a Sovereign.
"Don't say that. The important thing is that we're all together again," Linley said, raising his wine glass. "Come on, everything is in the past. Let's all have a toast."
"Cheers!"
Bebe cheered as well. Beside Bebe was a couple: Bebe's mother, very kind-looking, wearing a purple robe, and Bebe's father, whose brows carried a heavy murderous aura, making him seem very cold. But in this moment, even he revealed a smile. Among the four—Yale, Bebe's parents, and Dixie—Yale had been given a Demigod spark during his journey and had refined it to become a god. Bebe's parents had done the same. Only Dixie remained a Saint-level. Dixie still wanted to rely on his own cultivation to become a god.
For an undead to become a Saint-level, they only needed to devour enough souls. Once their soul was strong enough, they would eventually become a Saint-level. But going from Saint-level to god required comprehending the laws. Yale and Bebe's parents had no clue about this, so they naturally chose to refine a spark to become gods.
Linley waited anxiously. Everyone else had come, but his father, Hogg, had still not arrived. Linley even went to ask the Sovereign of Death once, but the Sovereign told Linley to wait patiently.
A metallic lifeform flew at extreme speed.
Inside were the Saint-level Black Knight Hogg and the silver-haired youth. Hogg had now become a god, of course, by refining a spark. Hogg's comprehension of the laws was extremely low; relying on himself to become a god would probably take another ten thousand years or more.
"We're almost there," the silver-haired youth said calmly. "This mission is finally about to end."
"Thank you," Hogg said, bowing gratefully.
"Why thank me?" The silver-haired youth willed it, and the metallic lifeform dissipated. Hogg and the silver-haired youth appeared in midair not far from the Nether Hotel. At that moment, a blur shot across the sky, its speed startling even the silver-haired youth. The blur condensed into a solid form.
"Hmm?" Hogg looked closely at the person before him.
Clad in a sky-blue robe, with brown hair, the face still bore traces of the past. "Is he?" But Hogg didn't dare to be sure. In his perception, the speed of the person just now was like teleportation. Such speed was something even the Seven Star Fiend beside him couldn't achieve. Could such an expert be his son?
"You... are you?" The silver-haired youth was also somewhat frightened. But at this moment, Linley's gaze was fixed solely on Hogg!
Scenes flashed through Linley's mind...
His father's strength and loneliness, when he had protected Linley and Wharton as children...
His father's request for Linley, hoping he would obtain the warblade "Slaughter"...
The pain in his father's heart, which he had to bear alone...
His father's death, leaving only that letter. It was only then that Linley understood his father's suffering...
Linley stared at the man before him, his eyes moist with emotion.
"Father!" Linley called out.
Hogg looked at the person before him in disbelief. When he died, Linley was still a youth. Although he could still vaguely make out Linley's features from back then, in terms of temperament and everything else, Linley, now at the peak of godhood, had changed far too much from his youth.
"Linley? Is it... you?" Hogg couldn't help but be shocked and moved, staring intently at Linley.
"It's me, Father!" Linley couldn't control himself, and tears flowed down his face.
At this moment, Yale, George, Bebe, and the others were all in the distance, smiling, watching this father and son reunite after nearly three thousand years.
PS: Two chapters finished, the nineteenth volume ends! Starting tomorrow, the twentieth volume.
Shamelessly asking for leave, will make up for the missed chapter tomorrow...
"Coiling Dragon" has reached the nineteenth volume, and the end is near. The finale is expected around July. At most July, at least the end of June. A little over two months...
Regarding the plot arrangement, Tomato has been scratching his head in worry...
"Coiling Dragon" has been written for so long; the ending must be exciting, must have a huge climax. () Well, the book is in its later stages; Tomato doesn't want to write a rushed ending...
It must be exciting...
Well, I'll take another day off tonight. (All the foreshadowing is starting to converge... the broken crown, the secrets of the Necropolis of the Gods, Beirut's plan, etc., step by step. Really sorry. Taking another day off.
But rest assured.
Once the plot is sorted out, I'll start making up for the missed chapters tomorrow!
"Coiling Dragon" is in its later stages. Tomato will definitely work hard to write the final wrap-up well. I also hope everyone will support Tomato... so that "Coiling Dragon" can have a glorious ending.
Let it be a bit more perfect!