High-level Divine Artifact Fragment

"Ladd, y-you've already become a Saint Domain warrior?"

Alash was greatly shocked and could not help speaking up.

As for whether Ladd could become a Saint Domain warrior, not only Alash but even the other family members had never doubted it. But in their eyes, Ladd becoming a Saint Domain warrior by the age of fifty would already have made him an extraordinary genius.

Who could have imagined that Ladd had already become a Saint Domain warrior?

If Ladd had not admitted it himself, they simply could not have believed it.

Most importantly, this was likely not merely a matter of Ladd's own talent. The cultivation manual he practiced was probably a truly high-grade one as well. Even within the family, such a manual was a treasure.

"I only broke through recently."

Since the Old Ancestor had already exposed it, Ladd no longer concealed anything and answered directly.

"Hehe, not bad. Breaking through to the Saint Domain at your age makes you a genius as well."

Seeing that Ladd had not concealed anything from him, Ailin nodded.

The Material Plane was unlike the Divine Plane, where cultivation was inherently more difficult. To reach the Saint Domain in such a short time within a Material Plane, as long as one did not perish, becoming a god in the future would not be difficult. If he went to the Divine Plane, even reaching the High-God realm was not impossible.

Those capable of cultivating to become High-Gods were already considered geniuses.

As for reaching even higher?

That was no longer something that could be predicted. Cultivation had never been something fixed and unchanging.

Hearing Ailin speak, the others grew even more jealous. The Old Ancestor had personally praised Ladd as a genius!

With just that single remark from the Old Ancestor, Ladd's status in the family would rise considerably. Once the family head learned of it, he might allow Ladd to marry a direct-line daughter, perhaps even making Ladd a true direct-line member of the family.

For branch-line members like Ladd, as long as they had the opportunity to marry into the direct line and produce descendants, their children would most likely inherit the family's purest bloodline and naturally become direct-line members.

For a moment, everyone's gaze toward Ladd changed.

Ailin looked at the others again and casually remarked, "Since you all carry the bloodline of the Duncan Family, act as members of the Duncan Family should. Just do not disgrace the family name."

Though he did not say anything more, those words were effectively an acknowledgment of their identities.

It was not that Ailin truly cared much about them. He simply could not be bothered to change the family's way of doing things after so many years. Since he had the ability, he would protect the family when he could. In any case, it was merely a matter of saying a few words.

"Yes, we shall obey the Old Ancestor's command."

The others quickly responded as well.

Ailin could not be bothered to say more and directly told Alash, "Go wait outside the island. Ladd will remain behind."

Ladd was staying behind?

Upon hearing this, Alash and the others were even more stunned!

Not only had the Old Ancestor shown Ladd special favor, but he was now keeping Ladd behind alone? This had never happened before!

For a moment, the others' gazes toward Ladd were filled with envy.

Even Ladd himself found it hard to believe. The Old Ancestor was actually keeping him behind?

"Old Ancestor."

Alash wanted to say something, but hesitated. After all, he had brought so many direct-line family members this time, including some of his own descendants. Since they had the chance to meet the Old Ancestor, he naturally hoped the Old Ancestor could offer them some guidance.

Even if it could not improve their strength, their standing within the family would undergo an earthshaking change.

"Hmm?"

Ailin merely gave a soft hum, and Alash immediately calmed down. He hurriedly lowered his head and replied, "Yes."

Afterward, Alash did not dare say anything else and led the others away from Ailin Island.

After boarding the Grand Ship, Alash obediently waited there as Ailin had instructed.

At this moment, aside from Alash, all the direct-line family members were gathered there. Looking at Ailin Island, which had once again been sealed by divine power, their expressions were extremely complicated.

Envy, and jealousy.

"Who knows what damned luck Ladd stumbled into, for the Old Ancestor to keep him behind!"

The jealousy in one direct-line member's eyes was practically overflowing as he could not help saying, "Great-Grandfather, Ladd must be hiding some secret! And for him to cultivate to the Saint Domain, he must have concealed the grade of his cultivation manual back when he was in the family!"

"Shut your mouth!"

Before anyone else could chime in, Alash growled in a low voice, "Is the Old Ancestor's arrangement something you can discuss so recklessly?!"

Alash was, after all, a Saint Domain expert at the peak of the Saint Domain. As he deliberately released his aura, these family members, who were merely Level Nine, could not withstand it. Their faces instantly turned pale, and sweat even beaded on their foreheads.

Thud~

Those slightly weaker could not bear Alash's aura and even fell to their knees.

"That is enough. They are all juniors of the family; there is no need to go this far."

At this moment, another leader spoke up to persuade him.

"Hmph."

Alash immediately withdrew his aura, but his tone remained cold. Especially when looking at the man who had called him "Great-Grandfather," his voice carried no emotion whatsoever. "If anyone dares speak recklessly about Ladd again, they will be dealt with according to family law!"

He had thought this descendant of his was a clever fellow, yet who would have expected him to be so jealous? He was at odds with someone the Old Ancestor favored. There had to be something wrong with his brain.

"Yes!"

The others were all trembling with fear now. How could they dare say anything else? They hastily responded.

After glancing at them, Alash no longer paid them any attention and instead focused on the location of Ailin Island.

Whether it was because Ailin had taken an interest in Ladd or because Ladd had revealed his strength as a Saint Domain warrior, Alash now felt that Ladd surpassed these people by far.

After returning, he had to persuade the family head to place greater importance on Ladd.

No matter how much Alash wanted to help his own descendants, he understood what mattered most. The Duncan Family had endured until today not merely because of its strength. Its true foundation was the Old Ancestor.

On Ailin Island.

At this moment, only Ailin and Ladd remained.

"There is no need to be nervous. I kept you behind only because I have a few things to ask you."

Ailin waved a hand, signaling Ladd to relax.

Though Ladd possessed good talent and had even become a Saint Domain warrior, to Ailin, he was still nothing before he had fully grown. He had kept him behind for another reason.

"Please ask, Old Ancestor."

For some reason, hearing Ailin's voice inexplicably calmed Ladd.

Looking at Ladd, Ailin spoke directly. "Let me see the fragment pendant you are wearing on your chest."

When Ailin's Divine Sense had swept over the Grand Ship earlier, he had noticed Ladd. But what had truly drawn his attention was not Ladd's concealed strength, but the fragment pendant hanging from his chest.

"A fragment pendant?"

Ladd frowned slightly. He did not know why Ailin knew about his fragment pendant, but he still took it from his chest. "Is this the pendant you mean, Old Ancestor?"

It was a strange, pitch-black fragment with an irregular shape, about half a palm in size. Faint, broken patterns were etched across its surface.

"You need not hand it to me. I only need to look at it."

Ailin did not take the pendant Ladd offered him. He merely inspected it carefully before smiling. "It really is."

"Old Ancestor, do you recognize this pendant?"

Seeing this, Ladd hurriedly asked.

This pendant was regarded as a family heirloom passed down through his branch. However, it had not been passed down by the Duncan Family, but by the so-called Aiken Family.

Yet no one had ever known what it was. The only certainty was that the pendant was exceptionally hard. Even after his strength had increased, after he became a Level Nine warrior, and even after he had recently become a Saint Domain warrior, he had been unable to damage it in the slightest.

Naturally, he understood that based on its hardness alone, the pendant ought to be some kind of treasure.

Now, it seemed the Old Ancestor had kept him behind because of this treasure.

Could the Old Ancestor want this treasure? But if that were the case, why had the Old Ancestor shown no intention of touching it himself?

For a moment, Ladd could not figure out what Ailin was thinking.

"This thing can barely be considered a treasure on the Brinia Continent."

Ailin did not know Ladd's fleeting thoughts, nor did he care about them. The reason he was curious about the object was simply because it resembled a High-level Divine Artifact Fragment.

Now, he had confirmed it. This was indeed part of a shattered High-level Divine Weapon.

The Brinia Plane actually had something like this?

The only High-God Ailin had encountered on the Brinia Continent was the High-God of the Death Law whom he had slain.

Based on what he knew of the Brinia Plane, there had been no other High-Gods in the Brinia Plane for tens of billions of years. In other words, this High-level Divine Weapon Fragment had most likely been left behind from an even more ancient era, before that period.

In truth, even if there had been a High-level Divine Weapon, Ailin might not have been so surprised. But a fragment of one was different.

High-level Divine Weapons did not break without reason.

This meant that in an even more ancient era, God-level experts had once fought in the Brinia Plane. A battle capable of shattering a High-level Divine Weapon, if it took place in a Material Plane, would likely have been enough to be called world-destroying.

It could only be said that the Brinia Plane's past was far more complicated than he had understood.