After seeing off Headmaster Harrington and Linley, who had completed his initial awakening, Lin Yinuo did not rush to seek other treasures. Ordinary divine artifacts and divine sparks held little appeal for him. His true objectives had always been the authority associated with the Gebados Planar Prison, and that future Sovereign-Bluefire.
Following the increasingly clear guidance of [Bluefire's Prison Coordinates] and the [Plane Beacon] in his mind, he slipped deeper into the Necropolis of the Gods, toward an area where the spatial structure grew increasingly chaotic and the connection to Gebados Prison was closer. The deeper he went, the harsher the environment became. Shattered mountain ranges resembled the corpses of giant gods. Chaotic storms capable of eroding the protective energy of Saint-level powerhouses filled the air, while spatial rifts flashed and vanished around him like black lightning.
Had he not gained an initial understanding of the profound mystery of spatial fluctuations, allowing him to sense and avoid most dangers in advance, this journey alone would have been enough to kill an ordinary Saint several times over.
At last, he stopped before an enormous abyss that seemed to have been forcibly cleaved open by some terrifying power. Its depths were unfathomable, and dense darkness writhed within it like a living thing. An aura of chaos and brutality that made the soul tremble emanated from it, ten times stronger than anywhere he had encountered before! Countless fine black spatial rifts formed, intertwined, and vanished here, issuing teeth-grating hisses.
This was where the beacon's response was strongest! It was also one of the junctions where the spatial barrier separating this place from the Gebados Planar Prison was weakest!
This is it! According to the coordinates, Bluefire is imprisoned deep within this abyss, in a special cage somewhere in Gebados Prison.
He did not recklessly approach the edge of the abyss. Space there was far too fragile and could collapse completely at any moment, sweeping him into unknown spatial turbulence. He chose to sit cross-legged behind a relatively stable boulder on the outskirts of the abyss and checked in again. At critical locations like this, the system often provided the rewards he needed most.
"Check in."
[Ding! Check-in successful! Congratulations to the host for checking in at the [Planar Prison Core Rift]. Rewards obtained: [Directed Soul Transmission Technique] and [Fire Elemental Laws Fragment · Heat]!]
The [Directed Soul Transmission Technique] was a special soul technique that could transmit his thoughts across spatial barriers to a specific known soul coordinate, provided the recipient did not guard against it or the disparity in strength was not worlds apart. The [Fire Elemental Laws Fragment · Heat], meanwhile, gave him a deeper sense of the essential nature of flame's "temperature."
The soul transmission technique... just in time! This is the key to establishing contact with Bluefire!
He immediately began absorbing the [Directed Soul Transmission Technique]. It was not complicated; its core lay in precise control of soul power and accurately locking onto the target coordinates. With his current spiritual strength, he quickly grasped its essentials.
Everything was ready. He drew a deep breath, calmed his mind, and concentrated his spiritual power, locking onto the clear imprint in his mind that represented [Bluefire's Prison Coordinates]. At the same time, he activated the [Directed Soul Transmission Technique], in which he had just gained initial proficiency. A calm, clear thought imbued with his will crossed the fragile yet dangerous spatial barrier like a pebble cast into a deep pool, traveling toward the coordinates.
"Lord Bluefire."
Within the Gebados Planar Prison, in an isolated spatial cage filled with endless flames and magma.
A stern-faced man with fiery red hair sat suspended in the void with his eyes closed. No energy fluctuations emanated from him, as though he had become one with the entire cage. Yet, had a powerful expert been present, they would have sensed a terrifying power capable of incinerating heaven and earth lying dormant and gestating within him, as though it might burst forth at any moment and tear this cage, or even the entire Planar Prison, to pieces!
He was none other than Leylin Baruch, the future Sovereign Bluefire!
Suddenly, his tightly closed eyes snapped open! They were as blazing as molten lava, with countless worlds of flame seemingly arising and perishing within them. He had sensed an extremely faint yet extraordinarily clear soul transmission that disregarded the cage's isolation and rang directly through his sea of consciousness!
"Lord Bluefire."
Who was that?!
Leylin was deeply shaken! He had been trapped here for countless years. Apart from the prison administrators who conducted patrols, feared him greatly, and could do nothing about him, no outsider had ever managed to deliver a message directly into this core cage! Moreover, the method of this soul transmission was exceptionally ingenious, carrying a quality entirely different from the magical communication of this world. It seemed... closer to the level of laws?
He betrayed nothing. His powerful Sovereign will traced the transmission back to its source, instantly penetrating the cage's barrier and detecting a young figure over in the Necropolis of the Gods, hidden behind folds in space, his soul aura cleverly concealed.
A human... who had not even reached the deity level?
Interesting... a little fellow who hasn't even reached the Saint level, yet he can master such an exquisite soul transmission technique and even find this place... Is it coincidence, or...
He did not respond immediately, merely "watching" the figure coldly as he waited for what came next.
Outside the abyss, Lin Yinuo felt a will as vast as a sea of stars and as scorching as the sun sweep over him. Though it lasted only an instant, it made his very soul tremble! He knew that Bluefire had "heard" him and "seen" him.
He steadied his mind and continued transmitting his thoughts, keeping his words concise and going straight to the point. "I am Lin Yinuo, a junior. Through a chance encounter, I learned that you were trapped here. I have no wish to disturb you. I only want to ask: do you need assistance escaping this cage?"
He set no conditions and displayed neither awe nor fear. He merely stated a fact calmly and offered a possibility.
Inside the cage, a flicker of surprise crossed Leylin's eyes. Over the countless years, there had been people who wanted to rescue him, but they had either harbored ulterior motives or lacked sufficient strength. This was the first person who, despite not even having reached the Saint level, had asked him so calmly whether he "needed assistance."
"Assistance?" Leylin's will was like scalding magma as he responded to Lin Yinuo for the first time, carrying a trace of something difficult to describe. "With that cultivation of yours, which hasn't even reached the deity level? Or with your little... rudimentary understanding of space?"
His words were blunt, even carrying a hint of condescension, but there was no malice in them. They were more like an appraisal.
Lin Yinuo was neither servile nor overbearing. "Cultivation can improve, and understanding can deepen. The keys are timing and method. I may not have the strength to help you escape for now, but perhaps... I can become a way for you to learn about the outside world, or even, at some future moment, a pawn that breaks the balance... insignificant, yet occupying a crucial position."
He did not exaggerate his abilities, instead admitting his weakness frankly. At the same time, however, he pointed out his potential value-a "bridge" capable of conveying information between the inside and outside of the prison, a "variable" that might play an unexpected role at some critical moment in the future.
Leylin fell silent. He had been trapped for too long and knew little of the outside world. Although his formidable strength left him unafraid of any schemes, a channel through which he could safely communicate with the outside was indeed something he currently needed. Moreover, there was a peculiar quality about this young man. He was far more composed than someone his age should have been, and his soul was extraordinarily powerful. He even seemed... to carry a trace of dragonblood aura that shared Leylin's origin, yet was somewhat different? (The result of Lin Yinuo's repeated bloodline purifications.)
"What do you want?" Leylin asked directly. There was no such thing as a free lunch.
"A bond of goodwill." Lin Yinuo answered just as directly. "And, at a suitable time in the future, I may need your strength to stabilize... or rather, to 'manage' the order of this Gebados Planar Prison to a limited extent."
He had stated his ambition, but worded it carefully, using "stabilize order" rather than "control."
A hint of amusement flashed through Leylin's eyes. Manage Gebados Prison? What bold words! Yet, for some reason, coming from this young man's mouth, they did not seem absurd.
"A bond of goodwill... very well." Leylin's voice sounded again. "Until I escape, you may use this method to send me valuable information about the outside world. In return, within the limits of my abilities, I can answer some of your questions about cultivation, particularly... the Fire Elemental Laws."
He had not promised to help Lin Yinuo manage the prison, but he had tacitly agreed to the exchange of information and offered the incentive of guidance in the Fire Elemental Laws. This was exactly what Lin Yinuo wanted!
"Agreed," Lin Yinuo answered decisively.
A stream of information containing some basic insights into the profound mystery of the "Fire Element" traveled into Lin Yinuo's mind along with Leylin's will. Though only foundational, it went straight to the essence and was countless times clearer than Lin Yinuo's own explorations!
As expected of the future fire Sovereign! Just some basic guidance has cleared away my confusion! This trip was worth it!
"You should not linger here. The prison administrators occasionally patrol this area. Leave now, and do not disturb me unless necessary," Leylin transmitted one final time before withdrawing his will.
That vast sense of pressure vanished with it.
Lin Yinuo knew that their first contact ended here, with results far beyond his expectations. He had gained a channel of communication with a future Sovereign, along with precious guidance in the laws.
He did not linger. Turning immediately, he merged his figure into the spatial fluctuations and swiftly left the dangerous yet important abyss behind.
I've established a connection with Bluefire. Next, I need to keep improving my strength and use this connection to lay the groundwork for truly intervening in Gebados Prison in the future. The most important objective of this journey to the Necropolis of the Gods has been achieved.
His figure flickered several times through the shattered world of the necropolis before vanishing. Meanwhile, in the cage deep within the abyss, Leylin Baruch closed his eyes again, but the faintest, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"Lin Yinuo... a little fellow from the Baruch Clan? Interesting..."
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