Resolving to Act

"From now on, cultivate diligently. Do not waste your talent. Whenever you decide to head to a Divine Plane, come find me."

Ailin spoke calmly.

His meeting with Ladd had merely been a coincidence brought about by discovering this High-level Divine Artifact Fragment, which had sparked some curiosity about Brinia Plane's past. Now that he could not obtain any more useful information, there was naturally no reason to keep Ladd here.

Hearing that he might still have a chance to come to Ailin Island in the future, Ladd's heart stirred. The Old Ancestor had previously told him to go to a Divine Plane only after becoming a god. Did these words mean that he had a chance of becoming one?

Thinking of that possibility, Ladd could not help feeling excited.

"Yes. Ladd will cultivate diligently."

God-level!

This was a realm everyone yearned for. Although he had not encountered any major bottlenecks in his cultivation so far, he had no confidence at all when it came to becoming a god.

Ailin seemed to recall something. With a slight wave of his hand, a streak of light appeared in his palm. It seemed to come alive there, constantly changing shape before finally condensing into a thumb-sized sword gleam that entered Ladd's Divine Artifact Fragment pendant.

Ladd was somewhat puzzled.

"I sealed one of my attacks within that fragment. It can save your life should you encounter mortal danger."

Ailin spoke casually.

In truth, the attack was merely a strand of divine power he had sealed away. Since it was also only a Divine Artifact Fragment, its power was limited, though it still possessed the attack power of a Mid-level God. That was more than enough in Brinia Continent.

Upon hearing Ailin's words, Ladd could not conceal his excitement. The Old Ancestor actually thought so highly of him?!

"Thank you, Old Ancestor."

Ladd immediately bowed deeply.

"All right. You may leave."

Ailin waved his hand, dismissing him.

"Yes. Ladd takes his leave."

Ladd calmed himself before preparing to depart.

"Oh, right. If you have the chance to become a god, remember to choose Outside-the-Body Godhood."

Ailin suddenly recalled something and offered a reminder.

Outside-the-Body Godhood?

Ladd did not know what that meant, but he still agreed.

Afterward, Ladd departed.

Since he had already exposed his strength, Ladd no longer needed to hide anything. After leaving Ailin Island, he flew directly onto the Duncan Family's Grand Ship. This naturally made everyone aboard understand that Ladd truly was in the Saint Domain, for only Saint Domain experts could fly.

The Grand Ship became much livelier with Ladd's return.

After Ladd departed, the defenses outside Ailin Island were restored once more.

On the island, Ailin quietly watched the Grand Ship gradually sail away, unconcerned with how Ladd's status within the Duncan Family might change.

Everything he had done for Ladd had merely been a casual gesture. If he had to name a purpose, at first it had been curiosity about that High-level Divine Artifact Fragment. Later, perhaps it had also been because of the name "Aiken."

If Ladd truly had some blood relation to Aiken of Purple Thorn Continent in Hell, that would be a good thing for him.

If he remembered correctly, Aiken could extract Sovereign's Might.

Before becoming an Overgod, he had no source of Sovereign's Might.

Of course, if it was ultimately proven that Ladd had no relation to Aiken of Hell, he would lose nothing.

"It is time to leave."

Ailin stopped thinking about it and finally resolved to head to a Divine Plane.

In truth, he had previously hesitated over whether to go to a Divine Plane. While going there would greatly benefit the cultivation of his Death God Avatar, it was not impossible for the Death God Avatar to break through while remaining in Brinia Plane. It might simply take much longer.

Since he wanted to refine the Sovereign Spark as soon as possible, he had actually been leaning toward going to a Divine Plane.

After "introducing" the Divine Planes to Ladd just now, it had somehow stirred up the thoughts he had when he had first crossed over.

Back then, he had not been as cautious as he later became. His awe toward the Divine Planes had been far outweighed by anticipation. At that time, he had imagined becoming a god and venturing through the Divine Planes. Had it not been for the Death High God incident, he might have gone to a Divine Plane long ago.

But after experiencing more, he had come to understand that this world was far from safe.

Linley's rise all the way to the top in the original story did not mean he could do the same. Moreover, since he had not encountered any major bottlenecks while cultivating the Water Law, he had remained in Brinia Plane and cultivated there with peace of mind.

Now that this thought had resurfaced, aside from the Sovereign Spark and his old aspirations, it also stemmed from a certain confidence in his current strength.

With a thought, Ailin's Water God Avatar appeared. Although he planned to head to a Divine Plane, he had no intention of sending his Death God Avatar there.

If the Water God Avatar experienced battles and slaughter, the Death God Avatar and Main Body would likewise know of them. Perhaps their insights and comprehension would not be as profound as if the Death God Avatar experienced them personally, but for him, that was enough.

After all, this was far safer than having the Death God Avatar travel to a Divine Plane.

If the Death God Avatar went to a Divine Plane as well, even if it personally experienced everything and rapidly became a High-God, it would be difficult to return to Brinia Plane unless it became an Overgod. But if it did not return to Brinia Plane and refined the Sovereign Spark in a Divine Plane, the other Overgods would inevitably discover it.

Ailin was highly wary of the other Overgods.

Especially since his Death God Avatar was not strong enough to begin with. Even if it became an Overgod, it would only be the weakest Overgod. If the other Overgods developed any designs on him, he could only flee back to Brinia Plane. Even the so-called Sovereign God Agreement might not be of any use to him, since it merely restricted slaughter between Overgods of different ranks.

Therefore, before he possessed the strength to protect himself—at least the ability to preserve his life against Overgods of the same rank—he did not want the other Overgods to know his circumstances.

Furthermore, because of his understanding of the original story, Ailin did not particularly trust the so-called Sovereign God Agreement. This was ultimately a world where the strong were revered. The Sovereign God Agreement was nothing more than something a few Rulers could decide with a single word.

Thus, in his view, the best choice was for the Water God Avatar to travel to a Divine Plane while the Main Body and Death God Avatar remained in Brinia Plane to cultivate in seclusion.

His Water God Avatar might not be a match for Overgod Envoys or those with special bloodlines who had fused five Profound Mysteries. It might even be unable to defeat those only one step away from Paragon after fusing Profound Mysteries. Yet it had already fused five Profound Mysteries and could be considered an Asura.

In a Divine Plane, it would absolutely still count among the ranks of the strong.

Even should it encounter the people mentioned before, it was confident of escaping if it acted carefully.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if the Water God Avatar was killed, he could restore his strength with the Main Body still alive. As long as the Death God Avatar became an Overgod, his strength would still be formidable.

It could be said that he had prepared for every possibility.

As for a truly safe choice?

In a world where even Overgods could fall, nothing was truly safe. Although Ailin cherished his life and acted cautiously, he was not someone who feared challenges.

Even if he encountered a situation in which the Water God Avatar was certain to die, he would still venture forth once, so long as it could allow the Death God Avatar remaining in Brinia Plane to reach the High-God realm.