Yulan Calendar 6000, January 1—the Magnolia Festival.
The entire Yulan Continent was celebrating the annual Magnolia Festival.
Lanterns and decorations could be seen everywhere.
Children wore new clothes, and even the adults, who usually scrimped and saved, were treating themselves for once.
Under the Tree of Life, Kolan was eating and drinking with his children, Leo and Hannah, celebrating the Magnolia Festival.
Compared to before, Life Castle was much quieter.
Isabelle and Victoria had both lived to a thousand before passing away.
Their talents had been only average. Even with Kolan's help, they had become no more than ninth-rank mages and had failed to reach the Saint Realm.
The rest of his women had likewise lived out their natural lifespans.
They had resources and long lives, but they had also lacked the drive to give everything they had. Reaching the Saint Realm was no easy feat.
Leo smiled as he talked about the empire's current state. After conquering part of the Luo'ao Empire's territory, the Kolan Empire had expanded considerably, adding two provinces.
"Right now, the royal family's titles are passed down with a reduction in rank each generation. Someone can earn a higher title only if they distinguish themselves through exceptional ability," Leo explained.
A thousand years had passed since the Kolan Empire was founded.
A thousand years had changed many things.
The royal line had continued for more than two hundred generations.
Kolan didn't even know many of the royal descendants, let alone feel any affection for them.
He approved of this policy.
That was why many people, though nominally part of the royal family, were in reality no different from commoners.
Even an emperor's son, if granted the title of prince, would have a son who was demoted to duke, and a grandson who was demoted to marquis. If their descendants failed to distinguish themselves for five generations, they would lose their titles altogether.
Things had changed a great deal on Kolan's end, too. Unless his descendants proved exceptional, he wouldn't extend their lifespans. His blessings mostly warded off illness and kept them healthy.
The Royal Academy Kolan had founded had long since become one of the highest-ranking academies on the Yulan Continent, alongside O'Brien Academy and Yulan Academy.
Every year, many talented people graduated from the academy. The various powers often vied to recruit them, and the Kolan Empire, too, attracted talent by granting some of them the titles of baron or earl.
The most outstanding graduates might even be granted the title of marquis.
The Gate of Life and Death had become one of the Yulan Continent's most transcendent powers, like the War God Sect and the Temple of Life.
Kolan now had more than a dozen personal disciples. Anyone he accepted as a personal disciple was naturally gifted, and every one of them had reached the Saint Realm.
Suddenly, Kolan's whole body shuddered, and his expression changed.
"Father, what's wrong?" Hannah noticed his change in expression and asked with concern.
"Alas!" Kolan sighed deeply.
Just moments ago, he had received a divine sense message from Beirut ordering him to leave the Yulan Plane within a year.
Kolan had been planning to attend the next Necropolis of the Gods and explore it.
But now Beirut was driving him out.
As unwilling as he was, he had no choice but to leave.
Otherwise, there was only one possible outcome—death!
"Leo, Hannah, your mother has passed away, and both of you have reached the Saint Realm. There's nothing left for me to yearn for on the Yulan Continent. I've decided to venture into the Divine Plane and the Supreme Plane," Kolan said.
He wouldn't tell them that Beirut was forcing him to leave.
If his children harbored resentment, it would only bring them harm.
"Father!" Leo and Hannah cried in alarm.
They hadn't expected Kolan to go to the Divine Plane and the Supreme Plane.
Kolan was the only god in the entire empire. He was its pillar.
If he left, wouldn't the sky come crashing down?
"There's no need to talk me out of it. With my strength, no one on the entire Yulan Continent can defeat me except Lord Beirut. But my strength has been growing very slowly. The Divine Plane and the Supreme Plane are oceans of powerful beings. Venturing there will help me grow stronger faster." Kolan waved a hand. "You two still have talent. While I'm away, make sure you train hard and become gods as soon as you can."
"Father, let us go with you to the Divine Plane and the Supreme Plane!" Hannah said. "Anyone who reaches the Saint Realm can go there."
"You two..." Kolan shook his head. "Remember, going to the Divine Plane or the Supreme Plane as a Saint is no different from going to your deaths. You wouldn't survive three days there."
"How is that possible?" Leo said, unable to believe it.
Going to the Divine Plane and the Supreme Plane as a Saint meant certain death? They wouldn't even last three days?
"In the Divine Plane and the Supreme Plane, Low-Gods are at the very bottom. They can barely protect themselves, and Saints are no more than ants." Kolan smiled faintly. "Do you think a god who cultivates the Death Rules might capture Saints and hunt them down to harvest their souls and refine them into Soul Gold Beads?"
Leo and Hannah's expressions changed.
Just thinking about it sent a chill through them.
It was entirely possible. Their father himself was a powerful god who cultivated the rules of death.
"Remember, don't go to the Divine Plane or the Supreme Plane until you're Mid-Gods!" Kolan admonished them.
"I'll leave some resources here with the Tree of Life. Life Castle will also be your last line of defense. If the empire can't be saved, then let it go. Retreat to Life Castle. With the Tree of Life there, you'll be protected."
Kolan had left a mark on the Tree of Life. He couldn't take it with him, but it was like an extension of himself. It felt a natural affinity for his bloodline. If the War God or the High Priest came, the Tree of Life would attack them instinctively.
The Tree of Life couldn't take human form just yet, but its strength was equivalent to that of a Mid-God, and its attacks were still terrifying.
Kolan went over everything one by one.
"Leo, Hannah, refining a Godspark is a dead end. I hope you can become gods through your own efforts. Those who become gods by refining a Godspark are the weakest. If they want to grow stronger, they can only refine a higher-level Godspark."
Kolan explained everything carefully.
He didn't give his children any Godsparks or the things he had crafted over the years.
He would leave those things with the Tree of Life.
They would be used when the time came.
Most important of all was the Miniature Plane Space. It was a sacred place for cultivation.
His descendants would be able to train much more effectively there.
Leo and Hannah listened closely, their eyes full of reluctance.
After all, Kolan was leaving. They didn't know when they would see him again.
They had heard of people going to the Divine Plane and the Supreme Plane, but never of anyone returning to the Yulan Continent from either one.
Kolan shared some basic knowledge and a few secrets with his children.
Of course, he didn't tell them anything they weren't supposed to know. Learning such things would only bring them harm.
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