I don't know how much time had passed.
Perhaps a year, perhaps even longer.
The Laws of the World descended upon the Miniature Plane Space once more.
This time, Kolan's mastery of the Death Rules had reached the standard for becoming a god.
Soon, the Laws of the World receded, and Kolan gained another Low-God clone.
"As expected, fusing Life Low-God power with Death Low-God power makes the Fused Divine Power ten times stronger!" Kolan marveled at the power of the Fused Divine Power.
Though he was only a Low-God now, his strength was comparable to that of a Mid-God.
Kolan drew on his Life Low-God power and Death Low-God power to strengthen his body.
His Saint Domain True Body was growing stronger at a visible pace.
The Fused Divine Power was indeed extraordinary. Kolan's body was slowly transforming, with his muscle strength, meridians, and internal organs all improving.
After an unknown amount of time, the transformation came to an end.
"Hm!? After being tempered and strengthened by the Fused Divine Power, my true body is comparable to a Lowgod Artifact!" Kolan was rather surprised.
The Fused Divine Power was astonishingly effective at strengthening the body.
It was no exaggeration to say that, even without divine power or Battle Qi, his powerful body alone would let him punch the Saint-level Tyrannosaurus—renowned for its defense—into a pile of flesh.
That was the advantage of a powerful body.
Even if someone wasn't skilled at physical attacks, a strong body could still make those attacks terrifying.
"By now, this Tree of Life has already reached the limits of this Miniature Plane Space. It won't grow any taller here," Kolan thought as he looked at the Tree of Life, which had already reached ten meters in height.
He opened the Gate of Space and took the Tree of Life out of the Miniature Plane Space.
Then he brought it to the surface.
As soon as the Tree of Life reached the ground, Kolan set it down, and it immediately began to take root and sprout.
The enormous magic crystal deposit beneath the ground could sustain the Tree of Life as it continued to grow.
Kolan's Life God Clone and Death God Clone began using Fused Divine Power to strengthen their divine bodies.
His Saint Domain True Body watched the Tree of Life grow taller.
One day, an uninvited guest arrived.
The visitor wore a mask that glimmered green, and long silver hair fluttered in the breeze.
"Kolan, have you become a god?" the visitor asked, sounding surprised.
"So the High Priest herself has come. Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner!" Kolan said with a smile. "I was fortunate enough to become a god!"
The visitor was none other than the High Priest.
"Kolan, this Tree of Life..." The High Priest regarded Kolan with some confusion.
Kolan smiled faintly. "I happened to find a seed of the Tree of Life in the Necropolis of the Gods, and I nurtured it."
He told a small lie.
"So you found its seed in the Necropolis of the Gods. I was wondering how there could be another Tree of Life on the Yulan Continent." The High Priest sighed.
Before, the High Priest's voice had been androgynous, impossible to tell as male or female.
Now, her voice was clear and melodious. It was obviously a woman's.
"Kolan, how about a trade? I want this Tree of Life. Name whatever price you like," the High Priest said, looking at him.
"I absolutely won't trade away the Tree of Life. You shouldn't ask," Kolan said, waving her off and refusing outright.
What a joke.
The Tree of Life was a tremendous help to his cultivation of the Life Law. How could he possibly trade it away?
Besides, the High Priest was only a Low-God. What could she offer that was worth trading for?
"Kolan, if you're willing to give me the Tree of Life, I can even give you the Yulan Empire and have its people worship you. Now that you've become a god, you must know the benefits of the Power of Faith. If you wanted to unify the Yulan Continent, I could help you with that, too," the High Priest said.
Kolan smiled. "I'm not interested in the Yulan Empire, and I'm not interested in unifying the Yulan Continent either. Please stop coveting my Tree of Life."
What a joke. If he wanted to unify the Yulan Continent, it would be easy.
The High Priest, a Low-God who cultivated the Life Law, and the War God, a Low-God who had refined a godspark, were no match for him.
Unifying the entire Yulan Continent and gaining the Power of Faith might help Low-Gods with their cultivation. But that faith would be of little use in becoming a Mid-God, and even less useful for a Mid-God's cultivation.
Seeing that Kolan wouldn't budge, the High Priest was at a loss.
But the Tree of Life was truly important to her.
Unfortunately, she had nothing that would tempt Kolan. In the end, she could only leave dejectedly.
Kolan chuckled. The Tree of Life was essential to his cultivation of the Life Law. How could he possibly trade it away?
With the Tree of Life, cultivating the Life Law was as easy as drinking water.
It was a treasure so precious that he wouldn't trade it even for a Highgod Artifact!
To keep people from disturbing him, Kolan built a castle there. It covered an area twenty li in every direction. Then he summoned more than a thousand undead to patrol the grounds and keep intruders away.
At last, Kolan's Life God Clone and Death God Clone finished tempering their bodies with Fused Divine Power, and the bodies of his divine clones advanced to a higher level.
After that, Kolan left his Life God Clone in the castle to cultivate beneath the Tree of Life, while his Saint Domain True Body and Death God Clone traveled the world.
Only after leaving the castle did Kolan learn that it was already the year 4650 of the Yulan Calendar. Thirty whole years had passed since he left the Necropolis of the Gods.
Over those thirty years, the Yulan Continent had changed in several ways.
Some families and factions that had lost the protection of Saint Realm powerhouses had been wiped out.
That was the harsh reality.
The strong preyed on the weak. Without sufficient strength, no one could hold on to anything beyond their means.
A kingdom without a Saint Realm powerhouse to protect it was doomed to fall sooner or later.
A mighty clan without a Saint Realm powerhouse to lead it would only have its wealth coveted, until it was ultimately destroyed and its riches seized.
Though no gods were stationed in the Luo'ao Empire or the Rhine Empire, both had Saint Realm powerhouses at the peak to ensure they would not be destroyed.
Though some families and factions had declined and perished, others had risen to prominence.
The Four Ultimate Warrior Clans—the Baruch Clan, Bolei Clan, Haide Family, and Armand clan—were thriving.
In addition to the original Four Ultimate Warriors, a second generation had emerged from the clans. Combined with the strength of the first generation, they were second only to gods.
The Four Ultimate Warriors were also idolized by countless warriors and held up as role models. They were regarded as the ultimate warriors could become; the next step was godhood.
Aside from the Four Ultimate Warrior Clans, the "Saber" organization founded by Cesar was thriving as well. It even dared to assassinate the Radiant Church's archbishop.
The "Saber" organization was even hailed as the Yulan Continent's number-one assassin organization!
Cesar himself was known as the King of Assassins.
Around this time, a warrior named Rutherford reached the ninth rank at the age of just thirty. He traveled the world, challenging other ninth-rank warriors and winning one battle after another. He was hailed as a "genius warrior"!
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