"Bailey! Your task is to protect Rachel! If necessary, you can abandon everything else!"
Lei Mo spoke with utmost seriousness. Bailey was still young—strictly speaking, only a few years old—but she was very clever. She just nodded adorably.
No one knew that the little girl by Rachel's side was either a terrifying God Rank expert or a heaven-defying divine beast!
Now that Rachel's cultivation problem was solved, Lei Mo had to leave this gentle haven. His strength still had a long way to go.
The less effort he put in now, the more helpless he would be when disaster struck in the future.
Lei Mo was enjoying his life as it was. He even wanted to be like those ignorant Saint Realm experts, content with their current strength!
But he couldn't do it. He knew too much, and fear haunted him every moment!
Was the Material Plane safe?
Under normal circumstances, yes. But what if the gods descended?
Just like on the Yulan Continent, would he have the same opportunity as Beirut to become an Overgod in an instant?
Lei Mo questioned himself, stoking the flames of his fighting spirit!
Before leaving, he still had to see Mengba Erich. Marshal Mengba was still stationed at Brest Fortress, and would remain there for the foreseeable future.
At Lei Mo's current speed, reaching Brest would take only a few hours.
When he arrived at the City Lord's Mansion, the guards saw it was Lei Mo and hurried to show him the way.
"Mengba, I came here specifically for you! Your strength is too low, and your life could end at any moment. That's not something I want to see."
Lei Mo got straight to the point. There was no need for pleasantries between him and Mengba.
"Find a secret chamber!" Lei Mo ordered.
Mengba led Lei Mo to the chamber where he usually cultivated, a space he had excavated hundreds of meters underground.
Once inside, Mengba gazed at Lei Mo with fervent devotion.
"Take off your shirt and sit cross-legged!"
Lei Mo continued giving orders. If anyone had seen him speaking to Mengba this way, their jaw would have hit the floor.
He wasn't nearly as gentle with Mengba. He took out the Essence Blood of the Earth Element Level Nine Magical Beast he had casually killed last time, mixed it with his own blood and some medicinal powder, then put it in a container for later use.
Why not use the Essence Blood of a Saint Realm Magical Beast? Lei Mo needed to conduct an experiment.
As for what it would cost Mengba, that wasn't a consideration. After all, it wasn't Mengba's strength he needed.
Using a hollow engraving needle, he dipped it into the Mixed Blood and began tattooing the Runes, aiming for the purest Earth Element.
Lei Mo tattooed the Sturdiness Rune, Gravity Rune, and Strength Rune he had mastered onto Mengba's chest, waist, and arms. The forward and reverse Gravity Runes were positioned on Mengba's left and right arms.
"Vmmm—"
The moment the Runes activated, Earth Element energy surged madly through the chamber.
Lei Mo didn't need to meditate to feel the earthen-yellow energy filling the space.
"Mengba, do you feel anything unusual?"
"Master's master, I can feel that the Earth Element energy here is incredibly dense. It's almost turning to liquid."
"Anything else?"
That was the key question. Was Lei Mo's blood special, or was Bailey's Essence Blood special? It all came down to this.
"Hmm... I can feel a faint, indescribable sense of heaviness!"
Lei Mo understood.
"Looks like my guess was still wrong. My blood is special, and so is Bailey's Essence Blood."
It was obvious that Mengba had sensed the fluctuations of the Laws, but he was still nowhere near Rachel's level.
This meant Lei Mo's blood could help someone comprehend the Laws, but it wasn't enough.
The effect only became truly astonishing when Bailey's Essence Blood was added.
"Mengba, are you confident you can break through to Level Nine now?"
After thinking it over, Lei Mo asked.
"Absolutely, Master's master! I've been stuck at the peak of Level Eight for decades, and my battle qi hasn't increased at all in all that time!"
"But now, when I circulate my battle qi, I feel it growing constantly—and by quite a bit."
Mengba was practically trembling with excitement.
"Incredible! Master's master, you truly are a genius. You even thought of a method like this."
As always, Mengba's inner monologue was wonderfully elaborate.
"Cultivate diligently. When necessary, keep an eye on Duke Franklin's mansion for me. Just watch out for any information that could threaten the mansion. The powerful experts there can handle the rest."
"Yes! Master's master!"
Mengba stared at Lei Mo with shining eyes.
Ignoring Mengba's gaze, Lei Mo walked straight out of the chamber, rose into the air, and returned to the capital, Padon City.
"Has Bill the Divine Wind Bear still not woken up?"
Lei Mo asked the servant responsible for looking after the Divine Wind Bear.
"Not yet, Your Grace!" the servant replied respectfully.
Bill Cleveland had only been a Level Nine Magical Beast before and couldn't speak.
He still needed to eat, so Lei Mo had assigned some servants to take care of his meals.
"He's been asleep for so many days. It seems there's a good chance he'll reach the Saint Realm. After all, he swallowed the dual-element Magic Crystal Core of a peak Saint Realm beast. It's only natural that it would take longer to digest."
As Lei Mo thought this, purple and cyan specks of light rushed toward a corner of the mansion.
With a thought, Lei Mo flew there at once. Bill was indeed asleep in that spot.
When Lei Mo arrived, the Divine Wind Bear was still sleeping.
Purple and cyan elemental energy surged wildly toward Bill's head.
"If he doesn't succeed this time, I suspect Bill's head will explode outright!"
That was what Lei Mo thought.
And the truth wasn't far off. Thunder Law and wind energy from the heavens and earth poured madly into Bill, quickly merging with his Magic Crystal Core.
If Bill's Magic Crystal Core couldn't use the energy to successfully advance to the Saint Realm,
then his Level Nine Magic Crystal Core wouldn't be able to withstand such an immense amount of wind and thunder energy. It really would explode!
Bill Cleveland's soul was inside the Magic Crystal Core. Without it, Bill would be done for, with no chance for his soul to return.
Bill had never comprehended the eight Totem Pillars, nor had Franklin enslaved him. If he died, he might truly be dead for good.
Thinking of this, Lei Mo still wasn't reassured about Rachel's safety. He decided to go back and add another layer of protection.
As Lei Mo was thinking about all this, the wind and thunder energy continued gathering. Bill, eyes still closed, began to float into the air.
"Vmmm—"
After a strange, indescribable hum, Bill slowly opened his eyes.
"Master!"
Bill spoke in a human voice, bright and childlike.
"Master, I can finally talk, and I can fly too! It feels wonderful! Thank you, Master!"
Bill said excitedly, overflowing with joy.
As he spoke, Bill shrank to less than a meter tall, flew to Lei Mo's feet, and rubbed against him affectionately.
"Bill, your fur seems to have changed color."
Only then did Lei Mo take a careful look at Bill. Purple light shimmered across his sky-blue fur.
Had he gained a Lightning Law attribute?
"Congratulations, Bill. From now on, you're a Divine Wind Bear with both wind and thunder affinities!"
Lei Mo congratulated him.
"Thank you for making this possible, Master!"
Bill the Divine Wind Bear thanked him again.
"Reaching the Saint Realm means you no longer have to worry about your lifespan, but you still have to keep cultivating."
"The Saint Realm isn't the end. It's the beginning!"
"Can you sense any fluctuations or anything unusual in the air?"
Lei Mo asked.
Before you continue