Elmer

Elmer thought happily that he would soon reach the location of the base he remembered.

At the sight of the ruins before him, Elmer's smile instantly froze.

Where's my huge base?!

He didn't dare open his eyes, hoping it was just his imagination.

Elmer reached out and rubbed his eyes, then opened them again, full of hope.

"Crackle, crackle..."

A gust of wind blew past, and the flames still burning among the ruins crackled. Nothing before him had changed.

"No!!!!"

"Who? Who was it? Across the entire Azeron Continent, who would dare touch my things!"

A furious roar shot up from the mountains, startling countless Soul Crows into flight.

Perched in a tree in the distant mountains, Lynn watched Elmer calmly. He had returned.

This must be the Saint Domain expert the black-clad soldiers mentioned. He isn't even human? Lynn furrowed his brow. His cousin Kasa stood behind him.

In the darkness, the three golden eyes on Elmer's forehead stood out far too clearly. No ordinary human could have them; he had to belong to a special race.

"Three eyes?"

Lynn's gaze passed over the golden eye glowing on Elmer's forehead. Thinking of the many ordinary people imprisoned at the base, along with the mages who'd been held under especially tight guard, he recalled the original story. A suspicion crossed his mind.

Could this Saint Domain expert be one of the Three-Eyed Winged Human Race, capturing people to refine their Soul Essence?

Lynn had his suspicions, but wasn't certain. After all, the Coiling Dragon World had countless races, each with all manner of strange appearances. The Three-Eyed Winged Human Race wasn't the only one with three eyes.

It's a shame he's from an unknown race. If he were an ordinary human, I could fight him to test his strength—or even kill him outright.

Lynn watched Elmer and shook his head regretfully.

Elmer was from a special race, and Lynn couldn't tell how much of a boost that gave him.

Since Elmer hadn't made a move, Lynn couldn't gauge his Law Comprehension, either. If they were both at the Saint Domain pinnacle, Lynn would most likely be no match for him with his racial advantage. Naturally, he wouldn't take the risk.

I'll find someone to ask about him later...

Lynn took a long look at Elmer, committing him to memory. The two had made enemies of each other, and sooner or later, they would face off.

If he's at the Saint Domain pinnacle, I'll move to the Starfire Kingdom and fight alongside Xiao Yan. If he's only at the Saint Domain peak...

A chill flashed in Lynn's eyes. Wrapped in the Fate Law, he slipped away from the Dark Night Principality without a sound.

In the Starfire Kingdom, after seeing Roger off, Xiao Yan went into seclusion again.

With the boost to his comprehension of the Fire Laws from his Silver Talent, [Do Not Bully the Young and Poor], Xiao Yan's cultivation had progressed smoothly.

Besides the Fire Element Profound Mystery, which he had comprehended first, he had also recently grasped the basics of the Fire Body Technique and the Combustion Profound Mystery.

"Phew~"

Xiao Yan opened his eyes and emerged from his cultivation.

My priority now is becoming a god. Compared to the Fire Body Technique and Combustion Profound Mystery, which I've only just begun to grasp, I should focus on the Fire Element Profound Mystery, which I've already comprehended more than halfway.

After settling on his next direction for cultivation, a trace of regret flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes.

What a shame... The boost from my Silver Talent is limited, and fusing Laws is incredibly difficult. I have a feeling that if I pursue the path of fusing Profound Mysteries, I won't even get started for decades. It seems the Silver Talent's upper limit is probably that of an ordinary High God—around a zero-fusion High God.

Meanwhile, after taking Kasa and his cousin back to the Roland Empire and settling them in, Lynn disappeared once again to find out more about Elmer.

Wilbur's lived for over ten thousand years. Perhaps he knows something about that mysterious Saint Domain expert.

With that thought, Lynn flew into the palace of the Zhongyuan Empire.

"Wilbur, come out and see me!"

Inside a pavilion, Wilbur had been playing tag with the maids when he heard Lynn's voice. He shuddered, immediately pushed the maids away, and flew outside.

"Mr. Lynn, you're back!"

Wilbur hurried toward Lynn, his clothes in disarray.

Lynn glanced at the scratches on Wilbur's chest and raised an eyebrow. Feeling a little awkward, he realized he'd come without using his spiritual power to check first and seemed to have interrupted someone's good time.

"Ahem." Lynn coughed awkwardly.

He smoothly changed the subject to distract Wilbur. "Is there a three-eyed elder among the Saint Domain experts on the Azeron Continent?"

"A three-eyed elder?" Wilbur looked stunned. "Do you mean Elmer?"

"Is he the only one?" Lynn asked without changing his expression, quietly observing Wilbur.

"There are quite a few Saint Domain experts on the continent, but Elmer's the only one with three eyes!" Wilbur said with certainty.

"How strong is Elmer?"

Wilbur thought for a moment.

"Elmer has a strange personality and never interacts with the other Saint Domain experts. But a thousand years ago, he clashed with the Church of Light. He fought Pope of Light Abraham for over a hundred moves, and they were evenly matched."

"He should be a little stronger than me. He's a second-tier expert, a Death Element Saint Domain expert."

"Did Elmer use that third eye when he fought Abraham?" Lynn suddenly asked.

Special races always had special talents. In the Coiling Dragon World, talent was everything.

Ever since Xiao Yan had taken that knife in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Lynn, a transmigrator himself, had stopped letting success go to his head. He no longer underestimated the natives of the Coiling Dragon World.

Elmer's unusual third eye was probably his special talent. Until Lynn figured out what Elmer was capable of, he would remain on guard.

"N-no..." Wilbur recalled what he knew of the battle a thousand years ago, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Oh." Lynn's expression was impassive, giving nothing away.

Naturally, Lynn wouldn't take Wilbur's word for it without question.

If Elmer's only a second-tier Saint Domain expert, I can have Xiao Yan take him on. The clone has a combat talent, and using the Fire Laws doubles its combat strength. It's almost as strong as when I use the Fate Law, so it'll be perfect for testing Elmer.

Besides, when Xiao Yan uses the Fire Laws, he can outrun danger far more easily than I can with the Fate Law.

Lynn made up his mind.

Xiao Yan headed for the Dark Night Principality. Lynn gazed at the black sky, lost in thought.

It seems a little different from a decade or so ago.

Lynn sighed, his voice distant and ethereal.

At first, Lynn had approached Kasa only for information. His real goal had been to let his clone cultivate in peace.

Now, though, Lynn had sent his cultivating clone out of seclusion early... to fight Elmer, whose trump cards were still unknown.

Everything had been turned upside down.

Still, Lynn had no regrets.

Some things mattered more than others.

Lynn had always understood one thing: cultivation was about becoming stronger, and the point of becoming stronger was to control his own fate and have more choices.

If he couldn't even care when a friend went missing, what the hell was the point of controlling his fate?

He'd be nothing but a puppet, submitting to power.