Should I avoid his edge first?

Not even the gods. Wilbur added in his heart.

On the Azeron Continent, the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness could be considered the oldest powers; even the Zhongyuan Empire, which had existed the longest among the three great empires, could not compare to them.

The backing of the God Realm was the greatest trump card held by both the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness.

Throughout history, both churches had encountered many crises, even being hunted down to their headquarters, but every time, at the critical moment, they always managed to find a glimmer of hope and survive.

Even so, there was an ancient rumor on the continent that the Church of Darkness had perished a million years ago, only to rise from the ashes and flourish once more tens of thousands of years later at the hands of the plane guardian of that era.

It was precisely for these various reasons that before the three deities departed, even though they knew the Church of Darkness and the Church of Light would likely threaten the status of the empires after they left, they chose not to purge them.

"The Church of Light has retreated to the Holy Island; there is no need to pay them much mind." Wilbur gave the order after a brief moment of thought.

Then, Wilbur's eyes turned cold. "What is more important now is to purge the interior of the empire. Once war breaks out, all sorts of monsters and demons crawl out of the woodwork!"

"Previously, the empire couldn't spare the effort, but now... I would like to see how these ghosts and goblins think they can block the iron cavalry of my empire, or obstruct the might of my empire?"

"Pass the order: all nobles of the rank of Count and above in the empire, and all nobles of the rank of Marquis and above in the kingdoms, are to come to the imperial capital. I want to see which of these clowns dares not show up!!"

Dragon Knight Warrior Academy, Starfire Kingdom.

"Now that the Church of Light has been soundly defeated and the empire's power is at its peak, I think we should avoid their edge for now and wait to see how things develop." Yao Lao frowned deeply after receiving the message from the imperial capital.

While many powers on the continent were now aware that a Saint Domain had intervened to wipe out the upper echelons of the Church of Light, due to the limitations of the information, the major powers only assumed the Zhongyuan Empire was hiding a peak Saint Domain; they had no idea of Lynn's true identity.

"I should avoid their edge?" Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, his tone somewhat exaggerated.

Yao Lao tried to persuade him with earnest, well-meaning advice.

"Although your talent is high, you have only just become a Saint Domain, after all. You should prioritize stability and never underestimate the Saint Domains of this world."

"As for the Saint Domains of the Zhongyuan Empire, not to mention the one who wiped out the Church of Light, Wilbur alone—who stands in the open—is an incredibly powerful Saint Domain. According to Asers, a thousand years ago, he killed a peak Saint Domain with a single palm. His strength is unfathomable."

Wilbur? Very strong? Many question marks popped up in Xiao Yan's mind.

Yao Lao did not pay much attention to Xiao Yan's strange expression and continued:

"Many people know that you and I have broken through to the Saint Domain. The empire has sent us a message to head to the imperial capital."

"Oh?" Xiao Yan's expression turned odd.

This Wilbur really was... a natural-born "wolf-inviter."

He had just sent Lynn away, and now he was summoning Xiao Yan.

However, this was also a perfect opportunity for Xiao Yan to meet his true self in public.

In the imperial capital of the Zhongyuan Empire, amidst a cold, clear morning light, the city welcomed a grand occasion.

On the Central Avenue, the Imperial Guard stood in formation, soldiers clad in heavy armor and holding sharp spears, standing like city walls on both sides of the road.

At the end of the avenue, under the illumination of the rising sun, the leaders of the major powers appeared one after another.

Luo En, King of the Starfire Kingdom; Agubo, the Duke of Beiyue and lord of Beiyue Ridge; Baige, the ascetic of Cangluan Peak who was hailed as the number one person under the Saint Domain of the empire...

Those walking in the front were either of illustrious background or extraordinary strength, and behind them followed groups of nobles, both great and small.

Before long, the square in front of the central imperial palace was bustling with people. The leaders of the major powers and imperial officials exchanged pleasantries, while the nobles huddled together to gather intelligence.

"Heh heh... I heard that there was quite a stir in the territory of the Duke of Beiyue some time ago." The Starfire King, Luo En, said with deep meaning.

Duke Agubo of Beiyue looked indifferent, his tone cold as he spoke. "As a Duke of the empire, with the empire plunged into war, it is only reasonable and logical that I mobilize troops within my territory for defensive purposes."

"Heh heh... whether it was a reasonable mobilization or something with ulterior motives, I think the Duke of Beiyue knows best in his own heart." The Starfire King, Luo En, said with a mocking tone.

"That is not something the Starfire King needs to worry about." A flash of anger, mixed with a deep sense of dread, flickered in the depths of the Duke of Beiyue's eyes.

Baige suddenly spoke, looking at Luo En.

"I have just come out of seclusion and heard that the Starfire Kingdom has two newly promoted Saint Domains?"

"That is indeed the case." Luo En nodded. "It is Lord Albert and his disciple, Lord Xiao Yan."

Upon hearing the confirmation, a smile appeared on the corner of Baige's mouth.

"Albert, eh... it seems his dantian has recovered."

"In that battle back then... I relied on the advantage of my battle qi to narrowly defeat Albert by one move, and was hailed as the number one person under the Saint Domain. But I know that if our cultivation levels were equal, my realm would not be as good as Albert's." As Baige spoke, a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes.

"This time, I might finally get to have a proper fight!"

A sharp glint flashed in Luo En's eyes. "Lord Baige has broken through as well?"

The Zhongyuan Empire had two recognized geniuses: one was Baige, and the other was Yao Lao, Albert. Both were warriors who had grasped the momentum of heaven and earth, and one could say they had one foot inside the Saint Domain.

However, both had special circumstances. Yao Lao, Albert, had suffered damage to his dantian, which not only caused his peak level-nine strength to regress but also injured his foundation; only a Saint Domain could treat it, otherwise, he would never be able to break through to the Saint Domain in his lifetime.

As for Baige, although his dantian was not damaged, he had only just advanced to a level-eight warrior when he grasped the momentum of heaven and earth. To accumulate enough battle qi to achieve the Saint Domain would require at least ten or twenty years of accumulation.

After all, not everyone was like Xiao Yan or Lynn. Xiao Yan had the blessing of the talent [Fallen Genius], and his speed of accumulating both battle qi and magic power far exceeded that of ordinary people.

As for Lynn, he had fallen into an epiphany and directly entered the Fate Law, his spiritual strength reaching the Saint Domain in a single night, becoming a Saint Domain mage.

"My Battle Qi cultivation has reached the peak of the ninth rank; in a month or two at most, I will be able to take that final step." Baige crossed his arms.

"Hiss~~" Several minor nobles nearby collectively gasped in shock.

"Then I congratulate you, my lord." Luo En's tone was somewhat complicated.

Within the clouds, a dozen figures flickered in and out of sight.

"It seems quite a few people haven't arrived yet." Wilbur swept his cold gaze over the crowd in the plaza.

"There are still some rats hoping to fish in troubled waters." A Saint Domain expert fixed his eyes on several visibly uneasy nobles.

"The empire has become filthy; it is time for a cleansing."

Wilbur looked at the list of factions and nobles who had not shown up, his tone laced with killing intent.

Several streaks of light cut across the sky.