A Foothold

The Chaotic Territory has long been in a state of constant warfare, which has led the civilians caught in the chaos to yearn for a powerful leader to guide them from turmoil to stability. The fact that the two great churches have been able to establish a foothold in the Chaotic Territory is inseparable from the status of their Peak Saint Realm powerhouses.

"The Radiant Church has five Peak Saint Realm powerhouses, but that does not mean they only have five." Karl knew very well that his rise from a novice Saint to a Peak Saint Realm powerhouse in just a few decades—a level considered top-tier even on the entire continent—was entirely due to the credit of his system.

Under normal circumstances, a Saint Realm powerhouse would need at least several hundred to a thousand years to progress from the initial Saint Realm to comprehending the Laws of Heaven and Earth.

Over these years, Karl had not merely been in seclusion; he had also exchanged pointers with several other Saint Realm powerhouses. Excluding those top-tier prodigies, it generally takes a Saint three hundred to five hundred years to comprehend the Momentum of Heaven and Earth to perfection, and another few hundred years after that to luckily comprehend the Mysteries.

The Saint Realm possesses a long lifespan, and while this eternal life is a gift from the heavens, it also means that cultivation at the Saint level is extremely long and arduous.

Those who can reach the Saint Realm Limit within four or five thousand years are considered very formidable figures; for instance, the Pope of the Radiant Church has been cultivating for over two thousand years.

"I will find that place of cultivation first, then plan for what follows."

Karl made a plan for his goal: to find that area of Spatial Turbulence, which is the only place on the Yulan Continent where one can more intuitively come into contact with the Laws.

"Magic Crystal."

Karl whispered to himself. He was now nearly two thousand years ahead of the era of Linley, and the changes brought about by two thousand years of time could be described as earth-shattering. Even with various powerhouses holding down the fort, the Chaotic Territory remained a place of rapid, daily change.

"I remember that place seems to be very close to Black Crow Mountain." All Karl could think of was to repeat Linley's route, as this was the most definitive method.

However, Karl had no enmity with the Radiant Church; in fact, the two sides were even somewhat friendly, which meant Karl did not need to hide his identity.

The scorching sun hung high, and hot waves of air permeated the entire Black Stone City. Under Karl's Mental Power, he could easily see the scale of the entire city.

At this moment, there was a unit of City Guard in Black Stone City, patrolling the city lazily and casually. Many of them even hid under the city walls, unwilling to be exposed to the sun.

"This godforsaken weather, hot as hell during the day and cold as death at night." A burly man wearing damaged armor was cursing in a low voice, followed by his nine companions; this was one of the small squads of the City Guard.

"What are you looking at!"

Seeing some civilians nearby, the burly man's face turned cold, and he began to curse at them.

Many civilians, seeing this scene, retreated in fear.

After these civilians had run off, one of the soldiers cursed in a low voice: "This godforsaken world. Working under that greedy fat pig, my elders look down on me, calling me lower than a pig or a dog."

"Damn it, who's to say otherwise? If it weren't to keep my son and wife fed, I wouldn't be doing this!" his companion echoed.

In Black Stone City, the fat City Lord had a terrible reputation. With high taxes every month, many civilians could barely scrape by even if they worked themselves to the bone. These soldiers, who had joined the City Guard just to keep themselves or their families fed, had instead become the City Lord's accomplices.

Although they also cursed this detestable City Lord, they dared not resist, because the City Lord had a son at the Peak of the Seventh Rank. Such strength was enough to dominate a small city.

Karl flew silently at a high altitude. This was the sixth city Karl had seen in the past few days. He had originally intended to find Black Soil City, but after seeing so many city banners change over the past few days, Karl gradually realized something.

In a place like the Chaotic Territory, civilians have almost no sense of belonging. Perhaps this person is the City Lord this month, and perhaps it will be someone else next month. This leads to the civilians not having high demands for their lord; as long as they can be led to have enough to eat, that is enough.

If the treatment is poor, as long as they don't starve to death, they will at most curse under their breath.

"Let's just do it here."

After much deliberation, Karl finally gave up. It was better to simply find a place to develop gradually; he might still be able to find that Magic Crystal vein.

Following Karl's decision, the City Lord, who was as fat as a pig and still enjoying himself with a concubine in a bed at the City Lord's Mansion, instantly lost his life.

That concubine, who was of good appearance and whose number among the fat City Lord's wives was unknown, felt the heavy body on top of her. The bashfulness she had been feigning vanished as she felt that lifeless aura, and her face turned pale instantly.

"Ah!"

The City Lord's Mansion of Black Stone City could be considered a city within a city.

Karl descended from the sky, and over three thousand soldiers instantly turned pale. Those who could fly through the sky were either noble Mages or powerful Saint Realm experts.

Many sharp-eyed people noticed that the powerhouse descending from the sky was not a Mage wearing robes and holding a staff, and they immediately understood that this was likely an extremely powerful Saint Realm expert.

The army of Black Stone City consisted of only two large battalions, each with eighteen hundred men. One was the City Guard responsible for patrolling the outer city, and the other was the Royal Guard responsible for protecting the entire City Lord's Mansion. Using half of his troops to protect himself showed just how afraid of death the City Lord was.

Under Karl's gaze, the pressure caused all thirty-six hundred men to involuntarily kneel on the ground, forming a dark, dense mass.

"My name is Karl Talos. I intend to establish the Sky Wind Kingdom here. Are you willing to become the first soldiers under my rule?"

"Karl Talos?"

The Chaotic Territory was separated from the Holy Alliance by the entire Magic Beast Mountain Range and the O'Brien Empire. If it were hundreds of years later, people in the Chaotic Territory might know Karl's name, but clearly, these people did not.

However, those present were not stupid. To establish a kingdom, one must at least possess Saint Realm strength.

Everyone was filled with joy. Under the rule of a Saint Realm powerhouse, it meant that the Sky Wind Kingdom would usher in lasting peace. No one wanted to offend a Saint Realm powerhouse, especially one who had just established a kingdom.

After all, if someone came to provoke them right after the kingdom was established, that would be showing a total lack of respect for the Saint Realm powerhouse.

"Become my soldiers, and your pay will triple. I will also reduce the territorial taxes at my discretion."

Taxes are the core of a territory's economy; without taxes, there is no money to support an army, unless one pays out of their own pocket.