September 14, year 10009 of the Yulan Calendar.
The lights in Earl Wharton's manor stayed lit deep into the night.
Tomorrow, Wharton would enter the imperial palace to marry the seventh princess, Nina.
The imperial wedding was arranged by the court's ceremonial officials.
Tonight, however, belonged to the Baruch Clan.
In a hall deep within the manor, there were no noble guests or palace attendants.
There were only Linley, Wharton, Nina, Doehring, Hiri, and Hillman.
On the long table at the front lay a register of the Baruch Clan's ancestors.
At the very beginning was the name of Baruch, the first Dragonblood Warrior.
Beside it stood Hogg's memorial tablet.
The war saber Carnage lay across the front of the long table.
This clan war saber, lost for so many years, had finally returned to the hands of Baruch's descendants, and for the first time, it would witness the marriage of a member of the clan.
Hiri stood beside the table, his hands trembling slightly the whole time.
He had served three generations of the Baruch Clan.
From Hogg's youth to the time when the brothers Linley and Wharton grew up.
At the clan's lowest point, the manor had been so dilapidated that they could not even afford servants. Back then, no one had imagined that Wharton would marry a princess in the imperial palace of the O'Brien Empire.
"Let's begin," Doehring said.
He wore a moon-white robe, his white hair and beard neatly groomed.
There was no divine power.
Nor was there the pressure of the Saint Realm.
Tonight, he was simply an elder of the family.
Wharton and Nina stood side by side before the long table.
Wharton wore the Baruch Clan's black formal attire, with an ancient emblem shaped like an azure dragon embroidered on his chest.
Nina had changed out of her princess's formal attire and wore only a simple red dress.
Doehring picked up the ancestral register.
"The Baruch Clan's lineage stretches back more than five thousand years."
"The first clan leader, Baruch, a Dragonblood Warrior, once slew a frost dragon and a Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor."
"The second clan leader, Ryan Baruch..."
Doehring read out the names one by one.
Some of those names had once shaken the continent.
Many more had left only a single brief line in the clan's records.
Later, Dragonblood Warriors became fewer and fewer.
The clan gradually declined.
By Hogg's generation, all that remained was the dilapidated ancestral home in Wushan Town, a lost war saber, and two young children.
As Doehring reached the end, his voice paused briefly.
"Hogg Baruch."
Wharton lowered his head.
Linley also looked at his father's memorial tablet.
The hall was very quiet.
Doehring closed the register.
"Wharton."
"Grandpa Doehring."
"Starting tomorrow, you will no longer be merely Hogg's second son, nor merely an earl of the empire," Doehring said. "You will have a wife of your own, and in the future, children of your own."
Wharton listened attentively.
"Protecting your family doesn't mean hiding every danger from them, nor does it mean going off alone to die."
Linley raised his head and glanced at Doehring.
Those words were not meant for Wharton alone.
"When something happens, tell the people beside you first," Doehring continued. "Decide together, and shoulder it together. Will you remember that?"
"I will," Wharton said.
Doehring then turned to Nina.
"Nina."
"Grandpa Doehring."
"The Baruch Clan doesn't have as many rules as the imperial palace," Doehring said. "Marrying Wharton doesn't mean surrendering all your own opinions to him. Say what needs to be said, and object when you should."
Nina nodded firmly.
"I will."
Wharton glanced at her.
"She's always been very good at that."
Nina could not help laughing.
Doehring laughed too. "Then you'll have your work cut out for you."
The heavy atmosphere in the hall eased somewhat.
Hiri wiped the corners of his eyes.
Doehring had Wharton and Nina kneel before the ancestral register.
First, the two paid their respects to the ancestors of past generations.
Then they paid their respects separately to Hogg's memorial tablet.
Wharton lifted the war saber Carnage in both hands.
"Father."
His voice was somewhat low.
"I'm getting married tomorrow."
"Nina is wonderful. Big Brother is back too."
"The Baruch Clan's line hasn't ended."
After speaking, he placed Carnage back on the long table.
Nina took his hand.
Linley stood to one side without speaking.
Doehring walked over to the two and helped them up.
"From tonight onward, Nina is someone recognized by the Baruch Clan."
He took out an azure stone plaque.
Doehring had carved the plaque himself.
The Baruch Clan's emblem was on the front, while Wharton's and Nina's names were carved on the back.
"The imperial family has its marriage certificate." Doehring handed the stone plaque to Nina. "This is the Baruch family's."
Nina accepted it with both hands.
"Thank you, Grandpa Doehring."
She lowered her head to look at the stone plaque, her eyes reddening slightly.
This was the first time Doehring had presided over a family ceremony for the Baruch Clan since regaining a body.
It was also the first time since Hogg's death that someone had truly stood in front of Linley and Wharton and taken on the role of an elder for them.
After the ceremony ended, Hiri put away the ancestral register and Carnage.
Everyone left the hall.
Linley was the last to leave.
Doehring did not leave immediately either.
"Grandpa Doehring," Linley said.
"What is it?"
"Thank you."
Doehring looked at him.
"This is my family too."
Linley froze for a moment.
Doehring had already turned and walked out of the hall.
The next day, September 15.
At first light, red carpets were laid along Chiyan City's main streets.
The imperial palace bells rang out.
Riding an armored warhorse, Wharton set out from the earl's manor on Fushi Road.
Linley and Hiri walked at the very front of the wedding procession.
The five Barker brothers wore matching black armor and took positions on either side. The sight of five burly men over two meters tall appearing together drew waves of amazement from the crowds watching along the streets.
Sessler did not wear noble formal attire.
He still wore that gray robe, but for once, there was no impatient expression on his face.
Jenny, Lina, and Rebecca sat in a carriage at the rear.
Bebe crouched on Linley's shoulder.
Haeru remained at the earl's manor.
The wedding procession entered the imperial palace.
Court music began to play.
Nearly all the empire's important nobles were present in the palace's main hall.
Left Chancellor Judd, Prince Yulin, the head of the Dawson Chamber of Commerce in the imperial capital, and representatives sent by the War God Sect all sat in the front rows.
Mackenzie had also traveled from Northwest Province.
When he saw Linley, he raised his wineglass from afar.
Linley nodded in response.
Joanne and the empress stood at the front of the hall.
A moment later, Nina entered the main hall, surrounded by palace maids.
She wore a magnificent red-and-gold wedding gown and an imperial crown on her head.
Wharton looked at her and actually forgot to step forward.
Hiri gave him a gentle push from behind.
"Young Master Wharton."
Only then did Wharton come to his senses.
Nina saw it too, and a smile appeared on her face.
The two walked side by side to stand before Joanne.
The imperial wedding began with ceremonial homage to the War God.
Wharton and Nina bowed in the direction of War God Mountain.
Then they received the blessings of Joanne and the empress.
Joanne personally handed Wharton the golden sash symbolizing an imperial marriage.
"Wharton."
"Your Majesty."
"From this day onward, I entrust Nina to you."
"I will protect her."
Joanne looked at him.
"You must listen to her too."
Remembering Doehring's words from the night before, Wharton nodded earnestly.
"I will."
Joanne finally smiled.
Applause rang out in the main hall.
Wharton and Nina exchanged wedding rings.
The court ceremonial official loudly announced that the two were officially husband and wife.
Music rang out once more.
Standing at the front of the crowd, Linley watched his younger brother take Nina's hand.
He remembered that dilapidated manor in Wushan Town.
He also remembered the letter his father had left before his death.
Wharton had grown up.
And he now had a family of his own.
The wedding banquet soon began.
Holding wineglasses, nobles came up to Linley one after another.
Some wanted to invite him to banquets.
Some wanted to send the younger members of their families to become his disciples.
Others probed into the identities of the five Barker brothers.
After dealing with them for a while, Linley left the main hall and went to the palace gardens.
Doehring was standing beneath an ancient tree.
He had not joined the nobles.
Nor had he accepted anyone's toasts.
"Escaped?" Doehring asked with a smile.
"It's too noisy inside."
"You said the same thing when you attended banquets at the Ernst Institute as a child."
Linley walked over to his side.
"Wharton is married."
"Yes."
"If Father were still alive..."
Linley did not finish.
Doehring patted his shoulder.
"He would be very happy."
The two stood beneath the tree, watching the people coming and going in the main hall.
Suddenly, Doehring looked up.
Linley also sensed a powerful aura descending from high above.
It was not Saint Realm.
That aura appeared very suddenly, but carried no hostility.
A white-haired old man slowly descended from the sky.
He wore white robes, and his hair and beard were snowy white, but his eyes were a dreamlike sky blue.
The old man landed directly in the palace garden.
Several Saint Realm experts in the main hall looked over at once.
Mackenzie's expression shifted slightly.
The War God Sect's representative immediately rose to his feet.
The white-haired old man merely smiled.
"I've come uninvited."
"This is a joyous occasion. Surely one more guest won't matter?"
Upon receiving word, Joanne personally stepped out of the main hall.
He did not recognize this old man.
But he saw that the War God Sect's direct disciple had already bowed his head respectfully.
"It is an honor for the imperial family that you are willing to attend, my lord," Joanne said.
The white-haired old man paid no attention to those formalities.
His gaze passed over the crowd and settled directly on Linley.
Then he looked at Doehring.
A trace of surprise flashed through his sky-blue eyes.
"Linley Baruch."
"Doehring Cowart."
Doehring's expression did not change.
Linley, however, frowned.
"Who are you?"
"Hodan."
The white-haired old man spoke with a cheerful smile.
"The Planar Overseer of the Yulan Continent plane."
Planar Overseer?
This was the first time Linley had heard that title.
Hodan glanced at the guests in the main hall.
"This isn't a suitable place to talk."
With a wave, he laid down an invisible soundproof barrier.
Joanne, Mackenzie, and the War God Sect's representative were all outside the barrier.
Within it, only Hodan, Linley, and Doehring remained.
"When I sensed the Laws of the Universe descend that time from the Arctic Icefield, I knew another Deity Level expert had appeared on the Yulan Continent." Hodan looked at Doehring. "I simply never expected it to be Doehring Cowart from over five thousand years ago."
"Your news isn't particularly timely," Doehring said calmly.
"I'm only the Planar Overseer, not the master of the Yulan Continent," Hodan said with a smile. "There are some matters I shouldn't meddle in too much."
As he said this, his gaze seemed to flick northward.
Linley thought of Beirut in the Dark Forest.
Hodan soon withdrew his gaze.
"I came today to fulfill my duty."
"What duty?" Linley asked.
"To tell you something," Hodan said. "The Yulan Continent is only one of countless Material Planes."
"Above the Material Planes, there are also the Four Higher Planes and the Seven Divine Planes."
Doehring was not surprised.
He already knew of the existence of higher planes.
Linley, however, listened attentively.
"The Four Higher Planes are the Infernal Realm, the Netherworld, the Celestial Realm, and the Realm of Life," Hodan said. "The Seven Divine Planes correspond to the seven elemental laws of earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, light, and darkness."
"Any life-form that reaches the Saint Realm is qualified to leave the Material Plane."
"Those who reach Deity Level have even more reason to head to a higher plane."
Hodan looked at Linley.
"Although you're only ninth rank in human form, you've already entered the Saint Realm after Dragonforming. You qualify."
He looked at Doehring again.
"You became a deity on your own, and have fully mastered the Earth Element Profound Mysteries. If you remain in the Material Plane, there will be too few people with whom you can exchange insights."
"There are countless experts in the Infernal Realm. Saint Realm beings are merely the most ordinary life-forms, and even Lowgods have only just set foot on the path of cultivation."
Linley's gaze sharpened.
On the Yulan Continent, Saint Realm experts were already lofty existences.
Yet in the Infernal Realm, they were merely ordinary life-forms.
Hodan continued, "There are countless experts there, as well as treasures that could never appear on the Yulan Continent. If you wish to keep improving, the Infernal Realm is the more suitable place."
"What about the Dragonblood Warriors of the Baruch Clan from the past?" Linley suddenly asked.
Hodan smiled.
"They all left."
"During my long years as Planar Overseer, I've sent off quite a few Dragonblood Warriors of the Baruch Clan. Most chose the Infernal Realm."
Linley's breathing stopped for an instant.
Those ancestors in the clan records who had suddenly vanished without a trace had not all died.
They had gone to another plane.
"Can you return after going there?" Linley asked.
The smile on Hodan's face faded a little.
"Yes."
"But it's very difficult."
"The cost of returning to a Material Plane from a higher plane is staggering. Of a hundred thousand people who leave, there might not even be one who can return to their homeland."
Linley fell silent.
Hodan looked at him.
"Linley, you're still young. If you continue cultivating on the Yulan Continent, you'll find fewer and fewer opponents. Rather than wasting time here, you might as well go to the Infernal Realm now."
"Your clan's forebears are there too."
"Doehring has already become a deity. He can go with you."
"As for your younger brother, he married today and has his own life now. You no longer need to stay for his sake."
Linley raised his head.
"I refuse."
Hodan did not seem surprised.
"Because of Wharton?"
"Not just Wharton."
Linley looked toward the main hall.
Wharton and Nina were receiving the guests' blessings.
Bebe lay sprawled on a banquet table, with a plate of roast meat beside him.
The five Barker brothers stood in the crowd, looking particularly tall and imposing.
Jenny, Sessler, Lina, and Rebecca were there as well.
"My family and companions are all here," Linley said. "The Radiant Church still exists. My parents haven't been avenged yet. There are still many promises I haven't fulfilled."
"I won't leave at a time like this."
"In the Infernal Realm, you'll gain greater power," Hodan said. "Perhaps you could return in the future."
"Perhaps," Linley said. "That's why I won't gamble their entire lives on a perhaps."
Hodan nodded.
He did not try to persuade Linley further.
Instead, he looked at Doehring.
"And you?"
"You're already a Lowgod. Your cultivation will be much slower if you remain in the Material Plane."
"Whether it's the Infernal Realm or the Earth Divine Plane, either would suit you better than this place."
Doehring stroked his white beard.
"I've only had a body again for a few years."
"All the more reason to go out and see things."
"I was trapped in the Coiling Dragon Ring for over five thousand years," Doehring said. "I've only just set foot on the soil of the Yulan Continent again, only just become able to eat, to hold the Flat Blade, to preside over Wharton's family rites."
"And now you want me to leave again?"
Hodan looked at him.
"This is a broader path."
"How broad a path is isn't determined by the size of the plane," Doehring said. "I've only fully mastered Earth Element. As for the other Earth Element profound mysteries, I haven't truly found my own path yet."
"The Yulan Continent has earth, stones, and things I still want to carve."
"That's enough to keep me walking for a long time."
Hodan frowned slightly.
"Are you staying because of Linley?"
Doehring did not answer immediately.
Linley looked at him too.
Would the Doehring of the past give up his own path once again to stay by his side?
The thought had barely arisen when Doehring spoke.
"In part."
He admitted it very directly.
"But that's not all."
"I'm staying on the Yulan Continent because I want to stay. I want to watch Wharton start a family, and I also want to see where Linley takes the Baruch Clan."
"More importantly, I don't intend to decide on another parting for Linley."
Hodan did not understand the full meaning of that last sentence.
Linley did.
That time in Hess City, Doehring had decided for him who would stay behind and who would live on.
This time, Doehring would not use "it's better for Linley" as his reason for leaving alone.
"So you refuse as well?" Hodan asked.
"I refuse."
Doehring smiled.
"At least for now."
Hodan looked at the two of them.
One was merely at the Initial Stage of the Saint Realm.
The other had already become a deity on his own.
The Infernal Realm held countless opportunities for them.
Yet neither had wavered.
"Very well."
Hodan withdrew the soundproof barrier.
"The choice is yours. My only duty is to tell you that this path exists."
Before turning away, he added one more thing.
"If you ever change your minds, go to the Arctic Icefield at the far end of the North Sea."
"There are eleven teleportation arrays atop the tallest iceberg. I live there."
"You can choose any of the Four Higher Planes or the Seven Divine Planes."
Linley committed the location to memory.
Doehring asked, "Why do you keep urging us to go to the Infernal Realm?"
Hodan's smile remained unchanged.
"I come from there. Naturally, I'm more familiar with it."
He said nothing about his clan.
Doehring did not press him.
Hodan took a step.
His white figure was already high in the sky.
"Offer Wharton my congratulations on his wedding."
By the time his voice faded, he had vanished from the skies above Chiyan City.
The garden fell quiet again.
Linley gazed north.
The Arctic Icefield.
Eleven teleportation arrays.
The Four Higher Planes and the Seven Divine Planes.
And the Baruch ancestors who had already gone to the Infernal Realm.
For the first time, a far vaster world had truly appeared before him.
"Want to go?" Doehring asked.
"Someday," Linley said.
"When?"
Linley looked toward Wharton, Nina, and Bebe in the main hall.
"Once everything here is done."
Doehring nodded.
"Then we'll talk about it once it's done."
In the main hall, Wharton was looking for them with a wineglass in hand.
When he saw Linley and Doehring standing in the garden, he immediately came outside.
"Big Brother, Grandpa Doehring."
"Who was that old man just now?"
"A guest from very far away," Linley said.
Wharton did not understand.
Doehring had already picked up a wineglass from the table and pressed it into his hand.
"It's your wedding day. Don't worry about anything else."
"Drink this glass first."
Wharton laughed.
"All right."
He raised his wineglass.
"Big Brother, Grandpa Doehring."
"To you both."
Three wineglasses clinked together.
In the distance, Nina began walking toward them as well.
Linley did not look north again.
The Infernal Realm would be there waiting.
But today, it was not yet time for them to leave.