The Dragonblood Battle Qi in his dantian surged.
Linley closed his eyes.
He did not immediately guide it toward a breakthrough.
Three of his breastbones were broken, and his lungs had suffered a shock. Even a slightly deep breath sent a tearing pain through his chest.
The most important thing now was to stabilize his injuries.
Dragonblood Battle Qi circulated slowly through his meridians.
Wisps of a special bloodline power seeped into his lungs and damaged flesh. The clotted blood inside him gradually dispersed, and his breathing slowly steadied.
Bebe crouched nearby.
His injuries were just as serious. His black fur was covered in blood, and one foreleg was slightly curled up.
But he did not tend to his own wounds.
"Boss, how are you?"
"My internal organs have stopped bleeding," Linley said through Soul Transmission. "Don't touch me. My breastbones haven't knitted back together yet."
Bebe glanced at Landan on the ground.
"That woman's body has no signs of life left at all."
"Her soul has been taken away by the Laws of the Universe, too."
All six descended angels were dead.
The forces the Church had sent this time far surpassed those that had hunted him five years ago.
If Linley had not comprehended Hundredfold Waves in Yunfeng Town, he and Bebe would already have had no way to survive once the Six-Pointed Angel Battle Formation took shape.
Even after they broke the formation, Landan had still nearly killed them at the end.
Linley did not relax because of their victory.
He continued circulating his Battle-qi.
One full cycle.
Two full cycles.
The Dragonblood Battle Qi dispersed throughout his limbs and internal organs kept returning to his dantian.
The liquid Battle-qi, which had been rotating slowly, suddenly began to tremble.
Something stirred in Linley's mind.
This time was completely different from before.
He had lingered at the peak of the eighth level for far too long.
The Battle-qi in his dantian had long since reached its limit of density, only one final step away from transforming. Over the past four years, he had felt himself on the verge of a breakthrough countless times, yet he had never managed to grasp that tiny change.
Now, as the Battle-qi throughout his body returned to his dantian, the barrier that had always remained beyond his reach finally appeared.
Linley immediately drew all the Battle-qi in his meridians back in.
Rumble!
Waves seemed to rise within his dantian.
The liquid Dragonblood Battle Qi spun in circles, constantly compressing toward the center. A wisp of Battle-qi at the very center suddenly changed.
Its color grew deeper.
Its volume grew smaller.
Yet the power it contained was several times greater than before.
After that first wisp of Battle-qi finished transforming, the surrounding Dragonblood Battle Qi began to change as well.
One wisp.
Ten wisps.
A hundred wisps.
The transformation grew faster and faster.
Sweat seeped from Linley's forehead.
His breastbones still hurt fiercely, but a smile slowly appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"It's finally begun."
Bebe immediately raised his head.
"Boss, are you breaking through?"
"Yes."
Linley said no more.
He sank his entire focus into his dantian.
More and more newly formed ninth-level Dragonblood Battle Qi emerged, then flowed through his meridians into his whole body. As it coursed through his meridians, they grew tougher. The lingering injuries in his internal organs also healed rapidly under this power.
But his three broken breastbones did not mend immediately.
Linley merely wrapped Battle-qi around the fractures to keep the bones in place.
A dozen or so breaths later, the last wisp of eighth-level Battle-qi in his dantian finished transforming.
Boom!
A powerful aura erupted from Linley's body.
Dust on the ground swept outward in every direction.
The rush of air pushed Bebe a step back, but his eyes were filled with excitement.
"Ninth level?"
Linley opened his eyes.
"Ninth level."
He had finally taken that last step.
A ninth-level warrior in human form.
Linley braced both hands against the ground and slowly stood up.
His chest still hurt.
The three broken bones were merely held in place by Battle-qi and would still need several days to truly heal. But his internal injuries had stabilized, and the power within him was completely different from before.
Linley clenched his fist.
A low crack rang through the air.
He did not immediately undergo a full Dragonform transformation.
Wounds still remained beneath the dragon scales that had shattered earlier, and a violent transformation would tug at his breastbones.
Linley only let black dragon scales cover his arms.
Ninth-level Dragonblood Battle Qi flowed into the scaled armor.
An extremely faint azure halo appeared on the surface of the scales.
Strength, defense, speed.
All had undergone a fundamental change.
"Ninth level in human form," Linley said softly. "After a full Dragonform transformation, I'll be at the Initial Stage of the Saint Realm."
Bebe jumped straight onto his shoulder, then immediately shifted farther back, afraid of touching the wound on his chest.
"Boss, does that mean you can fly?"
Linley looked up at the sky.
Ordinary warriors could only break free of the earth's restraints after truly entering the Saint Realm.
Ultimate Warriors were different.
Once they reached the ninth level in human form, their transformed Saint Realm power would naturally bring with it the instinct to fly.
"Let's try."
Black dragon scales appeared over Linley's body once more.
This time, the scales gradually covered his entire body.
Black spikes sprouted from his forehead, elbows, and back, and a dragon tail nearly two meters long extended behind him.
He did not unleash his Dragonblood Battle Qi fully, maintaining only the lowest degree of Dragonform.
His feet slowly left the ground.
One foot.
One meter.
Linley hovered above the wilderness.
There was no wind magic.
Nor was he relying on any external force.
Flying was as natural as walking.
Linley remained low in the air for only a moment before landing again and undoing his Dragonform.
His body was not yet fit for testing his speed.
But he had confirmed it.
He had truly crossed the threshold of Saint Realm combat power.
As for his spiritual energy, it remained at the level of an eighth-level mage.
His breakthrough as a warrior had not raised his magical cultivation along with it.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Applause suddenly sounded in the distance.
Linley turned around.
An old man in black robes stood in midair several dozen meters away.
The old man was tall and thin, with graying hair, yet few wrinkles on his face. He stood in the air, his body as straight as a spear.
Linley's right hand immediately went to the hilt of the Black Jade Heavy Sword.
He had not even noticed when the man had arrived.
A Saint Realm expert.
And certainly no ordinary expert at the Initial Stage of the Saint Realm.
"Linley Baruch?" the black-robed old man asked.
"That's me."
"No need to be nervous." The old man slowly descended from the air. "My name is Mackenzie."
A flash of recognition crossed Linley's eyes.
The Jax Family's Saint Realm expert.
The true guardian of the Northwest Province.
"Lord Mackenzie," Linley said.
"Just call me Mackenzie." The old man glanced at the six corpses on the ground. "I hurried over after sensing the energy fluctuations here. When I arrived, I happened to see you kill that Four-Winged Angel with your final sword strike."
Linley did not lower his guard.
"You didn't intervene."
"By the time I arrived, you had already shattered her internal organs," Mackenzie said frankly. "Even if I had intervened, I would only have delivered the finishing blow for you."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on the bloodstains on Landan's back.
The four wings of light had already dissipated, leaving only the cracks from the collapse of her physical body.
"The Radiant Church actually dared to deploy the Six-Pointed Angel Battle Formation within the O'Brien Empire." Mackenzie's voice grew slightly cold. "The Jax Family will investigate this matter thoroughly."
Linley looked at him.
"Albert brought them here."
The expression on Mackenzie's face froze for a moment.
"Albert?"
"He pursued us here with cavalry and your disciple Silan," Linley said. "The six angels were mixed in among the cavalry. After the formation activated, Silan recognized them and fled with Albert."
Mackenzie fell silent for a moment.
"I'll give you an answer for this."
"That's the Jax Family's business," Linley said. "As long as he doesn't come looking for Jenny again."
Mackenzie nodded.
He studied Linley anew.
"I originally thought you were already at the Initial Stage of the Saint Realm when you fought the Four-Winged Angel."
"I wasn't."
"You only just broke through?"
"I broke through while healing after the battle ended."
Mackenzie's eyes suddenly lit up.
"In other words, with power below the Saint Realm, you killed a Four-Winged Angel who briefly unleashed the strength of the Saint Realm Middle Stage?"
"I wasn't alone," Linley said. "Bebe killed three Two-Winged Angels and also held Landan off for me."
Standing on Linley's shoulder, Bebe raised his head.
Mackenzie looked at him.
"A Shadowmouse who hasn't yet entered the Saint Realm, yet can kill Saint Realm angels overtaxing their physical bodies."
He drew a soft breath.
"Both of you are terrifying."
"It was only because their bodies couldn't withstand their true power," Linley said.
Mackenzie laughed.
"A victory is a victory. An opponent's weaknesses are part of their strength, too."
His gaze returned to Linley.
"How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-something."
Mackenzie fell silent for a while.
By the time he reached the Saint Realm, he had already cultivated for more than sixty years.
On the Yulan Continent, that was enough to earn him the title of genius.
Yet Linley, standing before him, was only in his twenties.
"A Dragonblood Warrior," Mackenzie said with a sigh of admiration. "The Four Ultimate Warriors truly aren't just legends."
Linley showed no pleasure at the praise.
Pain still throbbed through the wound in his chest.
Mackenzie noticed as well.
"Your injuries aren't light."
"Three bones in my chest are broken."
"Then go back and recover first," Mackenzie said. "Once you've healed, come find me at the Jax Family castle."
Linley looked at him.
"It's been a long time since I met a Saint Realm expert worth fighting," Mackenzie said frankly. "I want to see the power of a Dragonblood Warrior, and I want another look at that attack you used to penetrate holy light power."
"Once I unleash my moves, someone could be killed or injured."
"It's only a spar," Mackenzie said with a smile. "At our level, it's hard to make further progress by cultivating behind closed doors. Testing our strength against each other is more useful."
Linley recalled Steller's Frozen World.
He also recalled Landan's final dozen or so lightning-fast attacks.
He already possessed the strength of the Initial Stage of the Saint Realm.
But possessing that strength didn't mean he could already handle every Saint Realm expert.
A Saint Realm Middle Stage expert who had cultivated for more than sixty years was just right for testing his strength after his breakthrough.
"All right," Linley said. "I'll visit the Jax Family castle within a month."
"Good."
Mackenzie glanced toward Basil Provincial Capital.
"I'll deal with Albert's affairs before then as well."
Just then, a leopard's roar came from the distance.
A black blur charged toward them from the far end of the wilderness.
Haeru had returned.
Jenny was still riding on its back.
From afar, she saw the bodies on the ground, as well as the large patch of dried blood on Linley's chest.
Before Haeru had come to a complete stop, Jenny jumped off its back.
"Big Brother Lei!"
She rushed forward a few steps, then stopped in front of Linley.
Linley's warrior outfit was soaked with blood, and his chest was visibly caved in. Although the wound was no longer bleeding, his face was still pale.
Jenny reached out, but didn't dare touch him.
"You're badly hurt."
"My internal organs have stabilized," Linley said. "The bones in my chest just need a few more days."
Jenny looked at Bebe.
Bebe was injured too.
Her eyes immediately reddened.
"It's all because of me."
"No," Linley said.
Jenny looked up at him.
"Landan waited five years for me," Linley said. "Whether you came along or not, they would have attacked."
He glanced at Haeru.
"Why did you come back?"
"Haeru took me a long way away," Jenny said. "Then it stopped and kept looking toward the battlefield. I knew it was worried about you too."
Haeru gave a low growl.
It walked over to Linley and gently nudged his arm with its head.
Linley patted it.
"It's all right now."
Mackenzie stood to one side without interrupting.
Only then did Jenny notice him.
"Lord Mackenzie?"
As a member of the Jax Family, she had naturally seen Mackenzie's portrait.
Mackenzie nodded.
"You're Jenny?"
"Yes."
"I'll deal with what Albert did," Mackenzie said. "He won't bother you again."
Jenny was silent for a moment.
"Thank you, Lord Mackenzie."
"You don't need to thank me." Mackenzie glanced at the bodies strewn across the ground. "He nearly made the Jax Family shoulder a blood feud on the Radiant Church's behalf. This is no longer a private matter between him and you."
With that, he flew into the sky.
"Linley, I'll wait for you at the castle."
The black figure swiftly disappeared into the distance.
Linley looked at Haeru.
"Can you still travel?"
Haeru gave a low growl and lowered its body.
Jenny supported Linley.
"You can't ride."
"I can."
"The bones in your chest are broken."
Linley was about to speak again, but Jenny had already taken several soft strips of cloth from her case.
She wound them around Linley's chest, carefully avoiding the caved-in area, and secured the area around the broken bones.
Her movements weren't practiced.
But she was very careful.
"Now you can ride," Jenny said. "But not fast."
Linley glanced at her and didn't refuse.
"All right."
Jenny climbed onto Haeru first.
Linley then sat behind her, bracing one hand against Haeru's back to keep the jolting from reaching his chest as much as possible.
Bebe lay beside Linley's shoulder.
Haeru slowly rose.
Rather than returning to Basil Provincial Capital, they headed straight for Yunfeng Town.
The sky gradually darkened.
Haeru never ran at full speed along the way.
Only late that night did the courtyard walls in Yunfeng Town appear in the distance.
The residence was still lit.
Linley had been away for several days.
Doehring, Barker, and the others all knew he was supposed to return that day.
Just as Haeru approached the main gate, Barker, who was keeping watch on the courtyard wall, spotted them.
"Linley's back!"
The residence's gate quickly opened.
Barker and his four brothers, Sessler, Lina, and Rebecca all came out.
Doehring stood at the front.
His gaze first fell on the strips of cloth around Linley's chest.
Then it fell on Bebe's bloodstained fur.
The smile vanished from his face.
"Who did this?" Doehring asked.
His voice was very calm.
Yet Linley felt the earth around him suddenly sink.
"The Radiant Church."
Doehring reached Haeru's side in a single step.
He simply reached out and took hold of Linley's wrist.
His divine sense swept through the flesh and blood of Linley's chest.
Three broken bones.
Dragon scales that had regrown after being shattered over a large area.
And lungs that had only just stabilized.
Doehring's fingers tightened slightly.
"Get down."
Linley swung himself down to the ground.
The movement tugged at his chest, and his body swayed.
Doehring immediately steadied him.
Once Linley had regained his footing, he said, "Landan brought five angels. They're all dead."
"You nearly died too," Doehring said.
Linley didn't deny it.
Doehring looked at him.
Only after a moment did he examine the Battle-qi inside Linley again.
His expression suddenly changed.
"Ninth rank?"
Barker and his four brothers looked up at the same time.
Sessler also turned to Linley.
"I broke through after the battle ended," Linley said. "After dragonforming, I should already be at the Initial Stage of the Saint Realm."
Gates was the first to laugh.
"Haha! Linley's reached the Saint Realm too!"
A smile appeared on Barker's face as well.
"Once you've healed, let's see which of us is stronger."
"Now isn't the time for a contest of strength," Doehring interrupted.
Supporting Linley, he headed into the residence.
"Let your bones heal first."
Linley didn't pull away.
Before entering the gate, he glanced back at Jenny.
"Come in."
Jenny stood outside the gate, looking at these unfamiliar people.
Barker and his four brothers were like five towering pillars.
Sessler had white hair and white eyebrows, and his emerald eyes stood out in the darkness.
Lina and Rebecca had already walked over to her.
This place was completely different from Chier County City.
But it was the new life she had chosen for herself.
Jenny picked up her tiny case and stepped over the threshold of the residence.