The End

The beast was a Kejia Beast.

The blade was a Meteor Light Blade.

Guen first picked up the Meteor Light Blade. Though its surface was dull and gray, it was a Second-order Force Weapon—a weapon sufficient for use up to the Star Level, more than enough for Guen.

Such a weapon was already an absolute treasure on the Aoxin Continent. Compared to ordinary weapons, it had an additional step of blood-bonding.

Guen cut his finger and dripped a drop of his blood. The Meteor Light Blade flickered faintly, then returned to stillness. Yet Guen could feel that the blade had gained a sense of being an extension of his arm, much like a Protective Suit.

However, the blood-bonding of a Force Weapon was not particularly secure. If it fell into someone else's hands, they could use powerful force to easily destroy the residual information within, turning it into an ownerless item. The higher the grade, the harder this was to accomplish.

Force—the energy that warriors could mobilize after reaching the Planetary Level—was what this was.

The bonding of the Kejia Beast worked the same way.

Guen dripped his blood. The Kejia Beast had not yet awakened, but it opened its mouth to receive the drop, and with its eyes still closed, it found Guen's finger, gently bit down, and began to suck the blood. Slowly, a mental connection formed between Guen and the Kejia Beast. Only then did the beast slowly open its eyes and release its mouth.

"Ang~"

The Kejia Beast let out an excited cry and rubbed against Guen affectionately.

Now, the Kejia Beast looked like a round-headed, round-brained pangolin, only the size of a watermelon, but its combat power was already close to that of a Sixth-order Beast. The fastest way to make the Kejia Beast grow was to feed it the flesh and blood of other beasts—the higher the grade, the better the effect.

The Kejia Beast's size would also increase as its grade rose.

For an ordinary person, there was a very difficult threshold to cross from Apprentice Level to Planetary Level, but the Kejia Beast could grow straight to Planetary Fifth Stage in one go, which made Guen a bit envious.

Guen played with the Kejia Beast for a while before picking it up. He used his Communication Watch to contact his parents. Earlier, inside the Volcano Interior, all signals had been blocked, so only now did Guen have the chance to tell them the truth.

After a brief exchange, Guen slung the Meteor Light Blade over his back and walked out of the volcano.

Outside the volcano, many people were already waiting for Guen to appear.

Everyone's gaze naturally fell on the Kejia Beast and the Meteor Light Blade on Guen's back.

These were the rewards from inside the volcano. Even these Super Tier warriors knew little about them, though they were aware that some warriors who had reached the Fourth Stage had only obtained weapon rewards. Bringing out a beast was a first.

The looks everyone gave Guen changed.

Just as someone was about to invite Guen over, a very high-pitched horse's neigh suddenly came from the sky. A majestic, enormous unicorn flew down swiftly and then landed slowly.

A green-haired man with a slightly weary expression descended, his aura calm.

"High Priest." Seeing the green-haired man arrive, all the Super Tier warriors respectfully bowed slightly.

The green-haired man nodded lightly, then looked at Guen. "Guen, would you like to join my Forest Goddess Temple? My Forest Goddess Temple is the most powerful faction in the Aoyu Empire. Many special treasures are only available there. What do you think? Consider it?"

Tom whispered beside him, "This is the strongest person in the Aoyu Empire, Saint Tier Lord Mercedes, the High Priest of the Forest Goddess Temple."

Guen was startled. He hadn't expected the empire's number one to have such a gentle side.

Guen nodded. "Thank you, High Priest, for thinking so highly of me. I couldn't ask for more."

Though the other Super Tier warriors were disappointed, they had anticipated this.

Mercedes then looked at Chen. "Chen. You've proven yourself too. Go home. Your mother misses you very much."

Everyone's gaze fell on Chen.

He had the same green hair. Since Mercedes had arrived, everyone had already noticed Chen, but no one dared to speak carelessly in front of Mercedes.

Chen's face was full of complex emotions, but he didn't answer Mercedes first. Instead, he looked at Guen with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, Guen. I didn't mean to hide it. It's just that when I left home back then, I decided I would become a Super Tier warrior without relying on my family's power, so I concealed my identity."

Guen nodded. "I understand."

Only then did Chen look at Mercedes and shake his head. "No, Grandfather. Until I become a Super Tier warrior, I won't have any contact with the family. I want to join the Demon Hunters."

Grandfather!

Everyone had guessed that Chen and Mercedes had some special relationship, but they still hadn't expected it to be this significant.

Mercedes remained calm. "Then do you have any message for the family?"

Chen shook his head. "When the time comes, I'll go back myself."

Mercedes leaped back onto the unicorn and said to Guen, "Come, let's go to the Goddess Temple. Its location is very secret."

Guen had already communicated with his parents.

They both thought it was best for Guen to join the Forest Goddess Temple. The Forest Goddess Temple held a unique position in the Aoyu Empire, controlling many important treasures. Joining this faction would benefit Guen.

The unicorn was exceptionally large—more than ten times bigger than Chen's unicorn. Even lying down, there was plenty of space, but Guen sat cross-legged on the broad back of the unicorn.

Suddenly, Setti spoke up. "Lord Mercedes, I would like to join the Forest Goddess Temple. Is that possible?"

Mercedes nodded. "Come up."

But Setti hesitated, pointing at Uncle Jack. "Lord, this man is very important to me. Could you..."

Mercedes suddenly released an overwhelmingly powerful aura, pressing down so that everyone present found it extremely difficult to breathe.

And the center of this oppressive aura was Setti.

Though Setti gritted his teeth and his face showed strain, he held on without wavering.

Suddenly, Mercedes withdrew his suppressing force and praised, "Very good. Come up together. Someone will take care of your mounts."

Setti and Uncle Jack, relieved, also climbed onto the unicorn's back.

The Black-Haired Elder steeled himself and stepped forward: "High Priest, the top one hundred will receive the King's rewards and titles together tonight. We hope the High Priest can grace the occasion with your presence."

Mercedes glanced at him, and the Black-Haired Elder instantly stiffened, as if sensing great danger.

"No need. My Forest Goddess Temple will compensate them. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't linger." Mercedes ignored the Black-Haired Elder, urged her unicorn forward, and soared into the sky, soon vanishing from everyone's sight.

Guen looked down at the crowd, their expressions varied, clearly each harboring their own thoughts. A sudden idea struck Guen, and he spoke: "Milord, that Lianda is a rare Artifact User who has completed a Fourth Stage trial. Why not recruit her?"

Mercedes grew intrigued by this bold youngster: "Do you know who the other Saint Tier in the Aoyu Empire is?"

Guen and Setti shook their heads.

Mercedes sighed: "The founder of the Crimson Moon Society. Not only is she a woman, but she is also an Artifact User. Nearly all Artifact Users end up under her tutelage. However, having been through the trial, you should know that 'Artifact User' is a somewhat inaccurate term. It should be 'Controller,' or 'Spirit Reader.' Controller is merely a school. Though the founder of the Crimson Moon Society belongs to the Illusion School, her mastery of Spirit Readers is the strongest in the empire. Lianda was contacted by the Crimson Moon Society long ago, so I naturally won't waste my efforts."

Guen had never imagined that the other Star Level Saint Tier powerhouse was actually in a civilian organization.

"Don't underestimate the Crimson Moon Society. Eighty percent of its members are Artifact Users. As for warriors, only the exceptionally outstanding ones are recruited." Mercedes warned.

Guen and Setti quickly nodded.

"But my Forest Goddess Temple is the empire's number one Faction. You'll see that soon enough." Mercedes said with a faint smile.