Magical Beast Mountain Range, Mist Valley.
"Hahaha, I finally made it out of that hellhole!"
Dylan cradled his three children in his arms. When he realized this was the Yulan Continent, he laughed even more excitedly. "Five thousand years! It wasn't easy!"
"Father, I'm hungry."
One of the catlike creatures in Dylan's arms spoke.
At Stone Sculpture Valley, Fang Yun sensed the disturbance coming from Mist Valley. He looked in that direction and smiled slightly. "Looks like things are about to get interesting on the Yulan Continent."
The two Doham brothers and Prequet, who were cultivating, also felt the tremor. After all, Stone Sculpture Valley wasn't very far from Mist Valley.
"My lord, what happened? That was quite a commotion."
Doham was a little shocked as he asked.
"Nothing much. Just a lucky fellow who's escaped from captivity."
Fang Yun's tone was teasing.
Dylan really was rather lucky. He'd been locked up in the Plane Prison by Beirut, yet managed to escape after only five thousand years. That was certainly good fortune.
Still, when the guy had first emerged from the Plane Prison, he'd been so arrogant that you'd think he was the king of the place.
Of course, on the Yulan Continent as it stood now, he really was one of the strongest around. It was understandable if he acted a little conceited.
"A lucky fellow?"
Doham and the others exchanged bewildered looks.
"Alright, get back to cultivating."
Fang Yun spoke casually. "I'm going to meet this fellow, too."
After Dylan escaped, powerful figures began emerging on the Yulan Continent one after another. At this point, even Saint-level experts had only a little ability to protect themselves.
Once the training in the Necropolis of the Gods was over, the Yulan Continent would officially enter the age of the gods. Without god-level strength, no one would have any standing.
With that, Fang Yun left.
Dylan was a super-strong figure who'd appeared early in the original story, and Fang Yun had been quite fond of him back then. Now that he had the chance to see him in person, he naturally wasn't going to miss it.
Besides, Fang Yun was still in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Even if Dylan wanted to become its king, he'd have to see how things stood first.
Dylan's children had just eaten nearly a hundred dragons. Before they could continue, Dylan suddenly looked in one direction, his expression instantly turning grave. Divine power spread out, enveloping his three children and drawing them quickly back to his side.
"Get back."
Dylan's voice was grave.
His divine sense had suddenly detected an unfamiliar god-level expert flying toward them. And the newcomer was fast! Even Dylan couldn't move that quickly.
This was a powerful figure.
"Father?"
One of the kittens looked confused.
"There's a god-level expert!"
Dylan's expression grew even more serious.
He hadn't expected to encounter a god-level expert so soon after getting out—and an unfamiliar one, at that.
Could there be many god-level experts on the Yulan Continent?
He'd lived through the chaotic era five thousand years ago, but by the time he was locked in the Plane Prison, Lord Beirut had already purged almost all the god-level experts on the Yulan Continent.
Could some Saint-level expert have become a god over the past five thousand years?
There were two ways to become a god: becoming one independently, or by refining a Divine Spark. Five thousand years might not be enough to become a god independently, but refining a Divine Spark was certainly possible.
Many god-level experts had died on the Yulan Continent back then. Maybe some lucky fellow had found a Divine Spark and become a god.
"God-level expert!"
The three kittens shuddered inwardly, unable to keep from feeling afraid.
Their father was a god-level expert, but the three of them weren't. If a battle broke out, they'd be killed as soon as they were caught in it. That was how their fourth and fifth siblings had died in the Plane Prison.
Even when their father tried to protect them, he couldn't look after them all. In the end, those monsters had eaten them.
At the memory, the three kittens trembled.
In the face of a god-level expert, Saint-level beings were too weak.
Before Fang Yun could reach Mist Valley, Dylan's voice rang in his mind, filled with wariness. At the same time, Dylan secretly set his divine power in motion.
If they were still in the Plane Prison, Dylan would already have left—or attacked first.
But here on the Yulan Continent, there was no need for him to be so tense. He'd just gotten out and didn't want to fight another god-level expert right away. The Plane Prison was extremely barren, after all. Even god-level experts gathered divine power far more slowly there than on a Material Plane. So the divine power Dylan had accumulated was definitely inferior to that of god-level experts on a Material Plane.
But he wasn't about to let his guard down completely. At the slightest sign of trouble, he'd strike first, even if it meant using up the divine power he had left.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not here to cause trouble."
Fang Yun's voice was easygoing. He soon appeared in the sight of Dylan and his three children. "I felt the disturbance here, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect to find a god-level expert."
Although Fang Yun had known from the start that Dylan was the one who'd emerged, he naturally didn't let on. After all, Beirut, the Highgod, was still on the Yulan Continent.
And Beirut had surely noticed Dylan, too.
"I didn't expect to run into a god-level expert as soon as I returned to the Yulan Continent, either."
Dylan stared intently at Fang Yun. "You got here so quickly, so you must be in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."
Dylan assumed Fang Yun had already taken control of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, which was why he'd appeared here. But before being locked in the Plane Prison, Dylan had lived in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. He couldn't just let an outsider take it over.
Looks like they'd have to fight after all.
"Dylan, Fang Yun."
Suddenly, Beirut's voice rang in both their minds at almost the same time.
Dylan's expression changed instantly when he heard it.
Fang Yun wasn't particularly surprised. So Beirut really had been keeping an eye on this place.
In the original story, after Dylan emerged from the Plane Prison, he didn't immediately launch an invasion of human territory. There was barely any news of him at all. Perhaps he was gathering divine power; perhaps he'd gone to pay Beirut a visit.
Most likely, both were true.
As soon as Beirut's voice rang out, both of them saw his figure through their divine senses.
As the Highgod of the Yulan Continent, Beirut was incredibly bored. Now that he'd seen two god-level experts meet, he naturally wanted to stir up trouble. Especially since one was Fang Yun, who'd just become a god, and the other was Dylan, who'd unexpectedly escaped from the Plane Prison. It wouldn't take much for them to start fighting.
"Lord Beirut!"
Dylan immediately reined in his aura.
Beirut had personally locked him in the Plane Prison five thousand years ago, so Dylan knew exactly how powerful he was. He was undoubtedly an immensely powerful High-level God.
Besides, deep down, Dylan was also a little worried that Lord Beirut might lock him back in the Plane Prison. After all, he'd escaped without permission.
Fang Yun looked curiously at the little old man, a figure who'd been there from beginning to end in the original story. He hadn't expected him to show up in person at this point.
Doehring Cowart might have been important to Linley's growth, but the truly important one was Beirut. Without Beirut, Linley would never have achieved what he did.
Beirut was, in a sense, Linley's greatest "cheat."
Beirut appeared in front of them in the blink of an eye. He first glanced at Fang Yun, then spoke with a genial smile. "I don't believe we've met before, but I've heard of you, Fang Yun of the South Sea."
"I didn't expect you to have become a god already. Very impressive."
Anyone who managed to interest him was certainly impressive.
Fang Yun raised an eyebrow but said nothing. In his heart, he was sure that Beirut had probably been watching him ever since he first arrived on the Yulan Continent.
Seeing how Beirut treated Fang Yun, Dylan's heart sank. Could this fellow have a close relationship with Lord Beirut? If so, Dylan would have no choice but to leave the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Dylan wasn't particularly worried about Fang Yun. It was Beirut he feared most.
Seeing Fang Yun "wary" of him, Beirut found him even more interesting. But he didn't say anything more. Instead, he looked at Dylan. "Looks like you're pretty lucky. You actually made it back to the Yulan Continent."
"Lord Beirut..."
Dylan was nervous. Beirut had complete control over whether he lived or died. The three kittens behind him were even more nervous, trembling with fear.
"Alright, since you've made it out, I won't lock you up again."
Beirut saw right through Dylan's anxiety and said so directly.
Dylan's face immediately lit up with delight. "Thank you, Lord Beirut!"
"Alright, alright."
Beirut waved a hand and spoke casually. "You're not the first one to escape."
As he spoke, he glanced at Fang Yun.
Dylan was stunned. Was he not the first one to escape? He'd gotten out as soon as the spatial membrane had started to change. There was no way anyone could have escaped before him.
Fang Yun was surprised, too. Then he thought of the Magic Array he'd destroyed. Nearly ten years had passed; it wasn't impossible that some people had escaped.
Still, they probably weren't anyone important. Otherwise, there would have been some news about them by now.
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