Treatment

However, for those who achieve the status of a deity through refining a Divine Spark, because there is no descent of the laws of heaven and earth, they cannot directly absorb divine power from the elemental oceans; they must absorb the elements of heaven and earth and refine them into divine power.

"Lord Aier, they have been refining divine power for over fifty years, and it is estimated they can maintain flight for more than two thousand years."

Eric replied with a bow.

"Then prepare yourselves, and let us begin our journey to Liang'an Prefecture!"

"Yes, Lord Aier."

Before departing, Aier made a trip to the Amethyst Castle to purchase a batch of wind-style Mid-God Divine Sparks and Amethyst, which depleted the majority of his already modest reserves of Inkstone.

Since the wind style consists of nine profound mysteries, barring any accidents, the number of Mid-God Divine Sparks Aier would need to bring his wind-style divine clone to the level of his earth-style divine clone would be significantly higher than what he required for the earth style.

Over two hundred years, Aier refined nearly one hundred wind-style Mid-God Divine Sparks, allowing his wind-style divine clone to fuse three profound mysteries and possess the strength of a Five-Star Fiend.

Aier had refined over thirty thousand earth-style Divine Sparks, but the vast majority of these were Demigod Divine Sparks, with only an estimated two thousand or so being Mid-God Divine Sparks.

Aier estimated that if he were to refine only Mid-God Divine Sparks, his wind-style divine clone would require at least five thousand.

Furthermore, if he were unlucky and the wind-style Mid-God Divine Sparks he refined contained few of the seven or eight profound mysteries, the required quantity would be even higher.

Of course, if Aier were willing to spend time refining a large number of Demigod Divine Sparks to broaden the scope of his wind-style profound mysteries, the demand for wind-style Mid-God Divine Sparks would decrease accordingly.

However, to achieve the status of a Paragon, one must possess a High-God Divine Spark!

Only by absorbing all the profound mysteries of a single law simultaneously, impacting his mind and soul, could he better find the convergence points of the six profound mysteries and accelerate the progress of fusing them.

Every time he absorbed insights into the profound mysteries, it was no less than a small epiphany for Aier.

As long as he possessed the complete profound mysteries, the realm of a Paragon was merely something within Aier's easy reach.

This was the confidence of Aier, who possessed the ability of the Equipment Slot!

"Whoosh—"

Outside Snow Wolf City, a blue bird several dozen meters in size soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of cyan light as it flew toward the distance.

On the back of this blue bird sat a small pavilion, which was Aier's exclusive spot.

As for Eric and the others, they remained around the pavilion, keeping a watchful eye on movements from all directions.

On the neck of the blue bird, a red-haired, burly man radiated his divine power to form a protective barrier, shielding Aier and the others behind him from the wind.

Behind him, two other Mid-Gods sat cross-legged, absorbing divine power.

The three of them, like the blue bird beneath them, were all flying Magic Beasts that had signed contracts with the Green Chamber of Commerce.

To avoid delaying Lord Aier's time, the four of them decided to take turns during the journey.

One would fly, and one would maintain the divine power barrier, switching every ten years.

Bauer, Cain, Archie, and Ryan!

These were their names.

The blue bird currently carrying Aier and his group was Bauer.

"This feeling isn't bad at all!"

Sitting in the pavilion, Aier crossed his legs, leaning back in his chair.

Compared to flying and traveling on his own, this was much more enjoyable!

When I was weak, I had to fly myself to get anywhere. Now that I am this strong and have followers, if I still had to fly myself, wouldn't that mean my growth was for nothing?

For the first few decades, Aier's group rarely encountered anyone on their journey.

But as they drew closer to the major cities, they encountered more and more groups.

Some of these groups even traveled in metal lifeforms.

Every group was escorted by powerful individuals wearing Demon Badges.

Everyone was generally very low-key.

And as for Aier, using a Mid-God level Magic Beast as a mount was extremely rare.

After all, even a Mid-God who only achieved their status by refining a Divine Spark held a not-insignificant status in Hell.

Even in a prefecture city, if a Mid-God were willing, they could easily join the city guard.

Furthermore, there was an even more important issue.

Those who wished to build a faction would be very mindful of how they treated their subordinates.

Others who considered following someone would certainly look at what kind of treatment they would receive.

If one were to treat Mid-Gods as mere mounts like Aier did, they would be viewed as cold and ungrateful, and not worth joining.

Aier had not been aware of this at first.

However, after Eric exchanged words with others along the way and received some advice, he naturally reported it to Aier.

"No need to worry!"

Hearing Eric's words, Aier laughed: "Eric, I don't care whether or not anyone is willing to follow me."

"I imagine you have all been curious as to why I intend to head to Liang'an Prefecture during this time, haven't you?"

"It is not strange at all."

Contrary to Aier's expectations, Eric shook his head and said, "A powerhouse like Lord Aier could naturally never stay in a small pond."

"Only the prefecture capital is a stage worthy of you, Lord Aier."

"Hahahaha, Eric, I never would have guessed you had such a silver tongue."

Aier laughed.

It is no wonder that even the wisest of men keep a few sycophants around them.

There is no helping it; often, emotional value feels far more pleasant than practical value.

"However, what you said is not entirely wrong."

"This time, my journey to Liang'an Prefecture is to challenge the Prefect of Liang'an Prefecture and become the new Prefect myself."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, Eric was instantly shocked.

It was true that he had chosen to follow Aier because of his strength.

But he never imagined that Aier actually intended to challenge a Prefect.

A Prefect—that is one of the one hundred and eight individuals who truly stand at the very pinnacle of Hell!

It is not even certain that anyone has succeeded in such a challenge in hundreds of millions, or even tens of trillions of years.

He knew Lord Aier was strong, but he had not expected him to be strong enough to challenge a Prefect.

For a moment, worry and anticipation flickered across Eric's face.

He worried because Lord Aier's enemy was an existence at the absolute peak of Hell; if Lord Aier failed, the fate of his followers would likely be grim.

He anticipated it because if Lord Aier succeeded, then as his followers, they would inevitably attain a status and position they had never dared to dream of before.

Having bet his entire fortune on Aier the moment he witnessed his strength, Eric was clearly not a man content with mediocrity.

If he could not reach the peak himself, he would follow a powerhouse who could, using their protection to stand upon a grander stage.

"Then, Lord Aier, what do you need me to do?"

"To challenge the Prefect, one must first achieve one hundred consecutive victories in the arena of the prefecture capital."

"Eric, I need you to earn enough Inkstone for me before I challenge the Prefect of Liang'an Prefecture."

"The amount of Inkstone you can bring me during this period will determine the treatment you receive after I become the Prefect of Liang'an Prefecture."