Omen

Under the crimson setting sun, in the desolate wilderness, four two-winged angels with glowing white wings hovered in the air, surrounding Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan, caught in the encirclement, remained calm. Crimson battle qi swirled around his body, and with a wave of his hand, he easily blocked the attacks of the four angels.

"Saint-level?" William's expression shifted drastically, followed by a look of sheer horror. "You are only seventeen; how is this possible?"

William could not believe it, yet the reality was right before his eyes.

To effortlessly intercept the attacks of four two-winged angels—this was something even a ninth-rank warrior who had comprehended the Laws could not do, let alone an ordinary human like Xiao Yan.

The look of astonishment on William's face lingered for a long time. It wasn't that he hadn't seen seventeen-year-old Saint-level experts before, but those were in the Higher God Realms, where not only Saint-level experts but even teenage deities were a dime a dozen. However... the Azeron Continent was a material plane.

To become a Saint-level expert at seventeen—if word of this spread, it might even alarm the gods and draw their gaze down.

Seeing that William had exposed his strength, Xiao Yan no longer hid it. His battle qi transformed into flames that coiled around his body, and his massive spiritual power surged out, casting a terrifying spiritual pressure over the land.

At this moment, Xiao Yan stood high above, the crimson sun at his back and William and the others from the Church of Light before him.

"Now the roles are reversed. The Church of Light could hunt me, and I can hunt the Church of Light."

"From this moment on, I stand at the peak of the heavens!"

As he spoke, the heaven and earth elements above Xiao Yan's head erupted into chaos. Countless crimson fireballs, each dozens of meters tall, condensed and emitted a scorching heat.

Fire-type Forbidden Spell—Meteor Volcano!

"Hurry, leave and take the news back!" Seeing this, William, who knew the terror of a Saint-level fire mage, did not hesitate for a second and ordered the surrounding Holy Knights.

William knew deep down that without the ability to use the Angel Battle Formation, the five of them could not pose a threat to Xiao Yan now that he had reached the Saint-level. The only thing they could do was stall Xiao Yan, allowing the knights to return to the Church of Light with the news so the Church could prepare.

As an angel, William held the interests of the Church of Light above all else. Knowing Xiao Yan's terrifying talent, he had to ensure these knights brought the news back to the Church, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

William stood before Xiao Yan, his entire body radiating a dazzling white light. Four white wings burst from his back, and as a drop of blood fell to the ground, he flapped his wings and soared into the air, flying toward Xiao Yan.

"Kill!"

The two-winged angels on the side also mobilized their wings, launching their attacks simultaneously.

Almost in an instant, William reached Xiao Yan. His white jade palm, wreathed in the power of light, struck toward Xiao Yan's vitals with chilling murderous intent.

The four two-winged angels used their battle qi to condense Angel Battle Swords, stabbing at Xiao Yan's vitals from different directions.

"If you were your true selves, I might respect you a little, but you mere descended angels dare to try and stop me?"

Xiao Yan's expression was indifferent. With a flick of his finger, he swatted away William's attack, then followed up with a backhand slap across William's face.

William felt a massive force erupt from his face, and he was sent spiraling uncontrollably toward the ground like a meteorite. He smashed a bottomless crater into the earth, the terrifying impact spreading for dozens of miles.

Xiao Yan then cast a disdainful glance at the four two-winged angels. The fire-type Forbidden Spell he had been casting overhead instantly solidified, and the terrifying fireballs descended from the sky.

"Crackle, crackle~~" Sparks flew everywhere.

By the time William flew out of the deep crater, he ran straight into Xiao Yan, who was stepping out from the flames like a Fire Monarch, moving at a leisurely pace.

"You have comprehended... the... Laws?" William flew out of the crater, his body already seeping with blood. It was clear this vessel could not last much longer; in a few seconds, William's angelic soul would be completely devoured by the Yulan Plane.

"Half a month ago, when I broke through to the Saint-level, I had a stroke of luck," Xiao Yan replied indifferently.

"I hate... that I couldn't find you and kill you sooner..." Hearing this answer, William died with his eyes wide open, his body collapsing limply to the ground.

"Actually, you had a chance four years ago, but you didn't seize it."

...On the main road outside Wutan City, Xiao Yan caught up to a knight with an indifferent expression. With a wave of his hand, a ball of fire manifested out of thin air, burning the man alive.

"That makes this one; I'm sure there are no survivors left." Calculating the number in his heart, Xiao Yan's expression softened slightly.

As he relaxed, Xiao Yan caught the scent of blood. Frowning slightly, he looked down at his clothes and saw that his cuffs were stained a dark, brownish-red from the blood left behind when he killed the first angel.

He hadn't noticed it during the heat of battle, but now that it was over, it was quite an eyesore.

"Not having a spatial ring is such a hassle." Xiao Yan glanced toward Wutan City. "I'll go into the city and change my clothes," he thought to himself, stepping into the city.

The number of spatial rings on the Azeron Continent, where Lynn resided, was far lower than on the Yulan Continent, which was also a material plane. Spatial rings were much more precious here; aside from the Saint-level experts of the three great empires and the Church of Light, many ordinary Saint-level experts did not possess one.

Xiao Yan, having only recently become a Saint-level expert, naturally did not have one either.

"Next time, I'll just snatch one from the Church of Light!"

On the main street of Wutan City, because it was already night, there were few pedestrians on the road. Most of the shops on both sides were closed, with only a few taverns still open.

"Have you heard? A city in the Laine Principality was breached by a Saint-level magical beast," a red-haired brute shouted loudly in a tavern, drawing the attention of those around him.

"Another city breached? How many times has this happened in the last few years?" An old man leaning against the doorframe with a wine jug in his arms looked worried.

"It won't reach Wutan City. Those Saint-level magical beasts wouldn't dare provoke the Empire, so why worry about it?" a waiter wiping a glass said nonchalantly.

"Hic... that's not necessarily true. Isn't the Laine Principality a vassal of the Empire? Those Saint-level beasts slaughtered them too, hic... who knows when they might come for us," a drunkard who had clearly had too much to drink blurted out.

Faced with this topic, the people around him didn't dare to chime in and quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, don't you feel like there have been significantly more people from the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness around here in the last few years?" The red-haired brute spoke up again.

"Rumor has it that a while ago in the north, a bishop from a branch of the Church of Darkness clashed with the imperial officials, and it seems people died..."

"Rumors. Similar rumors have been popping up every so often for the last few years. Before, they said it was the Church of Light that clashed, and now it's the Church of Darkness," the tavern waiter shook his head.

"Anyway, I, for one, feel like something isn't right lately." The old man, who had taken a sip of wine, had cheeks flushed red from the alcohol.

Xiao Yan, passing by the tavern, heard the conversation inside and frowned.