At night, in Linley's bedroom.
Linley had injured his head, and Hiri, the butler, had told everyone not to disturb him so he could rest. While chaos reigned outside Wushan Town, Linley's bedroom was very quiet, and Linley himself was lost in a pleasant dream.
"Ding~~~"
A faint, quivering hum rang out. Rings of light emerged from Linley's chest, and the black Coiling Dragon Ring, enveloped in their glow, slowly floated out from beneath his pajamas. It hovered about ten centimeters above his chest.
The vibrations grew more intense, and the Coiling Dragon Ring's radiance grew brighter and brighter.
Fortunately, no one entered Linley's bedroom just then. Anyone who had would have been stunned. Linley, meanwhile, continued sleeping peacefully, completely unaware that the Coiling Dragon Ring was floating above him.
"Whoosh!" The light around the Coiling Dragon Ring suddenly contracted, then became a hazy streak. It flew out of the ring and descended beside the bed, transforming into a person.
He was a kind-looking old man dressed in a pale moon-white robe, with white hair and beard.
The Coiling Dragon Ring dropped weakly onto Linley's chest. Linley's eyelid twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the old man standing beside his bed, a stranger to him, he was startled. "W-who are you?"
"Little fellow, hello. My name is Doehring Cowart, a Saint-level Magus of the Puang Empire!" the kindly old man said with a smile.
Linley had met the person who would influence his entire life.
At that moment, inside the mind of Hodan's Fate God Clone, a thunderous explosion erupted, as though heaven and earth were being created. The countless twists of fate, encounters in life, and miracles of creation—all of it surged like a raging torrent and engulfed Hodan.
Hodan seemed to become a fish, swimming freely