The Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Fang Yun flew straight back. With a sweep of his divine sense, he spotted Dylan.
However, Dylan wasn't in Mist Valley. Instead, he had taken up residence far from Stone Sculpture Valley.
"Fang Yun."
Dylan had naturally sensed Fang Yun's divine sense. His voice was calm. "There won't be any magical beasts disturbing the area around Stone Sculpture Valley anymore."
Although he was somewhat unwilling to accept his defeat, he kept his word. And with Beirut's warning, he was even less likely to break their agreement.
Still, if he got the chance, he wanted to fight Fang Yun again.
"Good."
Fang Yun smiled, then transformed into wind and flew straight toward Stone Sculpture Valley.
Feeling the speed at which Fang Yun flew, Dylan narrowed his eyes. Perhaps Fang Yun hadn't shown all his strength, either. Their fight had been so brief that neither of them had actually used all their abilities.
Never mind. He would just keep an eye on Fang Yun in the future.
Fang Yun paid no attention to Dylan's thoughts and focused on Stone Sculpture Valley.
He had discovered that Linley was sparring with the Doham brothers in Stone Sculpture Valley. They had both even transformed. But Linley's level was still somewhat lower than theirs. Even as a Dragonblood Warrior and dual-element mage, he was at a disadvantage against Doham.
Still, with the Flight Technique, Linley could at least keep Doham occupied.
That was what made wind magic so appealing.
After all, only wind magic allowed someone to fly before reaching the Saint-level. It was an immensely powerful ability. A seventh-level wind mage who could fly stood a decent chance even against an eighth-level mage.
Boom!
Doham's fist met Linley's, and he couldn't help exclaiming, "The Flight Technique really is ridiculous."
He was much stronger than Linley. In a proper sparring match, given his abilities, he should have done more than simply suppress Linley. Linley ought to have been completely outmatched.
But with the Flight Technique from wind magic, Linley was at a disadvantage without losing outright.
That didn't even account for Beibei. If Beibei joined in, Doham wasn't sure he could keep Linley suppressed. After all, Beibei was Linley's contracted magical beast. It was perfectly natural for them to fight together.
Linley returned to human form and landed, smiling. "Even so, I was being suppressed. If the fight had gone on, I would've lost."
Only after sparring with Doham did Linley understand how strong he was. Doham's attacks were incredibly powerful. Even when they didn't hit him directly, the force passing through his weapon made Linley's hands tremble.
Doham was also incredibly fast. If Linley hadn't been flying, that speed alone would have been enough to defeat him.
The Tiger-striped Warrior's attacks and speed were both a little stronger than the Dragonblood Warrior's.
Doham waved a hand, looking rather frustrated. "You wouldn't have lost. You could've flown away whenever you wanted. I could keep up for a short while, but not for long."
It was only a sparring match. If Linley took to the air, Doham truly had no good way to deal with him.
Dohar also sighed. "It's rare for someone with the bloodline of an Ultimate Warrior to have a talent for magic. With your talent for magic, on top of your Dragonblood Warrior bloodline, you might even surpass the first generation of Ultimate Warriors someday."
It was common knowledge that Ultimate Warriors were powerful. Once they reached the Saint-level, they could even wield the strength of a peak Saint-level warrior. But the odds of an Ultimate Warrior becoming a mage were even lower than those of an ordinary person.
Linley was an exception.
Linley smiled and was about to speak when he saw a figure flying toward them in the distance. It was moving so fast that an involuntary shiver ran through him.
A Saint-level powerhouse?
Could it be Mr. Fang Yun?
The Doham brothers saw the figure too, and were delighted. "The lord is back!"
In the blink of an eye, Fang Yun landed.
"My lord,"
the Doham brothers greeted him respectfully.
Linley, meanwhile, stared wide-eyed, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find something to say.
Doehring Cowart, inside the Coiling Dragon Ring, felt his soul tremble. It's him! The mysterious god-level powerhouse who appeared in the back hills of the Ernst Institute!
Linley and Doehring Cowart weren't the only ones stunned. Beibei was shocked, too. He hadn't known Fang Yun was a god, but he'd never imagined that the mysterious powerhouse who had appeared at Linley's carving site was Fang Yun.
Linley remembered that Grandpa Doehring had once guessed that the War God had appeared at the Ernst Institute. Who would have thought it was Mr. Fang Yun?!
This... Mr. Fang Yun has become a god?!
Become a god?
Linley couldn't even imagine it. He didn't dare to.
Seeing Linley's expression, Fang Yun could guess what he was thinking. He smiled and spoke casually. "Linley, we meet again."
"Mr. Fang Yun, I..."
For the first time, Linley found himself at a loss for words.
Mr. Fang Yun was a god-level powerhouse!
A god!
God-level beings were the most powerful beings on the Yulan Continent. Among humans, there were only the War God of the O'Brien Empire and the High Priest of the Yulan Empire!
What did that mean?
It meant that Mr. Fang Yun was one of the three most powerful beings on the Yulan Continent!
A Saint-level powerhouse before a god-level being was like an ordinary person before a Saint.
And there was more. After carving Dream Awakening, he had turned down none other than Mr. Fang Yun!
For a moment, Linley could almost hear his own heartbeat. "Mr. Fang Yun, about before..."
"Come on, there's no need to bring that up."
Fang Yun waved it off and had Linley and the others sit down. Then, with a casual smile, he asked, "What brings you to Stone Sculpture Valley all of a sudden?"
Fang Yun had already guessed why Linley had come.
Fang Yun had asked him outright, and Linley felt awkward. Still, he steeled himself and said, "Mr. Fang Yun, I heard you bought a battle blade from the Lucas Clan..."
Even if he hadn't turned Fang Yun down before, Linley still wouldn't have felt confident asking the now-god-level Fang Yun to sell him the battle blade Slaughter.
After all, gods and Saint-level beings were worlds apart.
In Linley's mind, becoming a god meant no longer being an ordinary life-form.
The more he thought about it, the more Fang Yun seemed like a towering mountain before him, impossible to cross.
"Oh, the battle blade Slaughter."
Fang Yun nodded, openly acknowledging it. "I did buy it a few years ago. Wasn't it a weapon belonging to one of your Baruch Clan ancestors?"
"Uh..."
Seeing Fang Yun bring that up so directly, Linley didn't know what to say.
Doham spoke up for him. "My lord, Linley is hoping to reclaim his clan's battle blade, Slaughter."
From their conversation, the Doham brothers had realized that Fang Yun and Linley might have met before. But it seemed Linley hadn't known the lord's identity back then.
Fang Yun nodded casually, his expression unchanged, and looked at Linley with a smile.
Linley stood and gave Fang Yun a very formal noble's bow. "I hope Mr. Fang Yun will give me a chance."
"Haha, all right, all right. I'm not used to seeing you act like this."
Amused by Linley's behavior, Fang Yun asked him to sit down.
Seeing that Fang Yun's expression hadn't changed, Linley felt a little more at ease and sat back down.
Fang Yun didn't address the matter of the battle blade Slaughter right away. Instead, he glanced at the Coiling Dragon Ring on Linley's hand and smiled. "Come on out. Why hide?"
Fang Yun had always admired Doehring Cowart. As a tragic figure in the original story, Doehring was someone Fang Yun didn't want to see suffer the same fate. So if he got the chance, Fang Yun would save him.
After Fang Yun spoke, the Doham brothers and Beibei all looked puzzled. They had no idea what he meant.
At Fang Yun's words, Doehring Cowart drifted out of the Coiling Dragon Ring and bowed slightly to him. "Doehring Cowart greets Mr. Fang Yun. Please forgive my offense."
In the Coiling Dragon World, age didn't matter; only strength did. Fang Yun was a god, so he deserved to be addressed as sir. Besides, Doehring had been disrespectful by not appearing at first, especially since Fang Yun knew he was there.
"It's better to come out."
Fang Yun smiled, then waved a hand. Divine power gathered into an illusory form, revealing Doehring Cowart's appearance.
Everyone was startled. Even Doehring Cowart and Linley were thrilled.
"Mr. Fang Yun, this..."
Linley couldn't help speaking up.
Did Mr. Fang Yun bring Grandpa Doehring back to life? Linley thought a god might actually be able to do that.
"Don't get the wrong idea. This is only an illusion. It won't last long."
Seeing Linley's reaction, Fang Yun explained.
An illusion?
Doehring Cowart moved around. Sure enough, nothing about it was different from before. He felt a little disappointed deep down, but didn't show it. "Thank you, Mr. Fang Yun."
Fang Yun waved a hand, then looked at Linley with a smile. "You'll be able to do this too once you become a god."
Hearing Fang Yun say it so casually, Linley was briefly speechless. Become a god? He'd never dared to imagine that since he began cultivating. He'd thought that becoming a Saint-level Dragonblood Warrior would be enough to restore his clan's glory.
"Linley will become a god?"
The Doham brothers were stunned, too.
"My lord. You... you..."
The Doham brothers weren't fools. They quickly understood, and their hearts began to tremble.
Seeing their reactions, Linley suppressed his own bemusement and smiled to himself. It seemed they hadn't known Mr. Fang Yun had become a god.
"All right, don't look so surprised."
Fang Yun waved a hand casually.
The Doham brothers' astonishment didn't fade at his answer. If anything, it grew. Their throats were practically parched.
To them, Fang Yun had just confirmed it.
The lord had become a god!
"Squeak!"
Beibei looked at Doehring Cowart and squeaked, too.
Linley stroked Beibei's head, then briefly explained Doehring Cowart's situation. If Beibei had never met Grandpa Doehring, there'd have been no need to explain. But now that they'd met, there was no need to keep it secret anymore.
After hearing it all, Beibei marveled, "Boss, Grandpa Doehring has been living in your ring this whole time?"
"That's right. Grandpa Doehring is only a soul, so he can survive only inside the Coiling Dragon Ring."
Linley could only sigh.
He'd thought Mr. Fang Yun had helped Grandpa Doehring regain his body, but that wasn't the case.
"Uh, Boss..."
Beibei suddenly remembered something and cautiously sent a telepathic message. "Is Mr. Fang Yun a god?"
Connecting it to what had just happened, Beibei had finally figured it out.
Linley smiled wryly. "Yes. Mr. Fang Yun is a god."
Fang Yun looked at Linley and spoke directly, his tone still casual. "Linley, I understand what you're asking."
At Fang Yun's words, Linley looked at him nervously.
In Linley's mind, if Fang Yun were still Saint-level, then no matter how powerful he was, Linley might still have a sliver of a chance. If necessary, he could cultivate hard and try to make the trade after he had a chance of reaching the Saint-level himself.
But Fang Yun was a god now!
Once Fang Yun gave his answer, there was almost no chance of changing it, whatever the answer might be.
Fang Yun smiled. "Did Jeb tell you what I paid for the battle blade?"
Linley let out a deep breath and nodded. "The Crystal Core of a Level Nine Magical Beast, the Black-Ring Giant Python."
Fang Yun smiled. "Right. I won't take advantage of you. How about this: give me a Level Nine Magical Beast Crystal Core, or an item of equal value, and I'll give you the battle blade Slaughter."
Before you continue